Final Fantasy VII Novel: Protectors Of The Planet
by Outsider-Xero
Summary: (Getting revisions) My attempt at a novel of arguably the greatest RPG ever (maybe best game ever). As a mercenary struggles against odds to save a dying planet, a powerful warrior wants to destroy it with a sinister plot. Please read and review!
1. Reactor N01: Introduction

FINAL FANTASY VII

Far away from Earth was a Planet that was very similar to it. The Planet had people, weapons, forests, rivers and other similar things to Earth. However, some things in the Planet were very different from Earth…

A giant energy manufacturing company known as Shinra is harvesting the sheer life energy of the Planet as a simple fossil fuel. Processed and made into products known as Mako and Materia, these materials can work miracles, granting the wisdom of the Ancients to the user…

However, this substance, like all other fuels, is finite in supply, and the Planet's life force is being malevolently drained by the constant exploitation of Mako by Shinra. Though aware of the harmful effects, they function without remorse…

However, the real battle lies not with a corporation, but with a force much more powerful and deadly from the distant past. A long-thought dead warrior bent on becoming more and more powerful, and he, along with the Planet's drained energy, threatens the very existence of everything sacred…

Now, a small resistance movement emerging from the Slums of the dark city of Midgar must stop all the various dangers coming toward the innocent, and one mercenary for hire must look amidst all the lies and deception in his mind, and find the man he is from within…

_Chapter 1___ _Introduction_

It all started harmlessly enough, with a young man in a posh suit, with a small office building, and a dream. The man called himself "Shinra" and he would soon become the founder of a new and successful weapons manufacture company called "Shinra Incorporated".

He was a fairly fat man, with curly blond hair and blue eyes. His parents were farmers in the nearby town of Kalm, but he wanted absolutely nothing to do with that. Only a few months out of college, he sold the bank on the idea of his company, and now it was finally underway, as he decided to base his company in the city of Midgar.

With the help of some of his rich college friends, Shinra had managed to hire quite a good-sized staff team for his development of his company, and they soon began making designs of new weapons, before they got to creating them soon after. The economic climate was just right for his company and very soon it was one of the main premier businesses of the whole of Midgar itself.

Shinra Incorporated slowly began to buy out all of the other companies. Being able to give the people what they wanted was a unique gift that Shinra had, the other companies could not compete with that and soon Shinra was the only weapons dealer left. 

After buying out a constructions company, Shinra began expanding into other markets. Being able to do quality building for less money made the orders swamp in as well, and Shinra continued to expand and grow in its size. Soon Shinra and its development team unveiled the Midgar Plate Project. At a press conference Shinra smiled as he said…

"Good citizens of Midgar, I assure you all that the new idea that we at Shinra Incorporated have is simple. We plan on building a city above all other cities in the entire world! This project is also about bringing people together. People working with each other will build the city, and afterwards people working together will maintain it. Midgar will be the greatest city in the entire world! It is only fitting that the city looks the part!" announced Shinra.

The people all agreed and believed it all, and so the Plate Project was soon underway, by agreement of the citizens and the mayor of Midgar, Domino. Soon the industrial and rich sections of the city were fifty meters above the ground, along with extra cities that were created, all of these were to be on the top of the Plate that was to be built above the other cities of Midgar, the cities that some people would still be willing to live in on the ground.

Critics of the Plate Project questioned the time and effort it would take to build and finish the whole project. But they had failed to take into account that Shinra Incorporated had total control of all the supplies and builders.

The project itself took no more than twelve years of non-stop work to complete. Connected by railroad, the people in the old cities, now called the Slums and the lower cities, could commute to the surface, to the top of the Plate where the new upper cities would be.

Most of these people had signed on to work for Shinra Incorporated as smaller companies, but they were unable to buy real estate on top of the Plate. The larger industries had to pay a hefty sum, annually, to get up there. These smaller companies, who were now in a poor location and unable to market simply went out of business.

By this time Shinra was into all the markets: TV, radio, appliances, cars, absolutely everything. With all the revenue they had the ability to employ an entire army with which to protect all the citizens of the city. 

Soon, the company decided to take a shot at space travel, the first ones ever to have done so in the history of the whole Planet. But after only meeting with severe failure on the space programme, President Shinra, (as he called himself and was known as now), was faced with a new problem. 

The great city of Midgar, becoming ever more famous worldwide across the whole Planet, was therefore growing in its population, and the need for more power and electricity for the citizens of the city had increased beyond the capacity of his power plants.

Looking over to his Shinra Public Safety Maintenance Department for support on the subject, lead by a man named Heidegger, they proposed the use of "Mako" energy, believed to be the very energy of the Planet itself. It was very efficient and it was extracted right from nature.

President Shinra was very pleased with this idea, and was immediately interested. He put most of his company's budgets toward the creation of a stable Mako Reactor, which would extract the Mako energy and convert it into vast, useable electricity for the entire city. The first attempts were failures, causing the deaths of more than a few workers.

But just when he was considering about putting an end to the Mako Project, he was extremely pleased and relieved when a young scientist named Professor Gast came up with a Mako Reactor design that was stable and fully functional.

Hiring Gast as the new head of his Shinra Science Department, President Shinra had Professor Gast and his Science Department work along with the Urban Development Department, led by a young man named Reeve, to build enough Reactors for the city.

Considering the size of the whole city it was decided that six Mako Reactors would be needed to transfer electricity to the whole upper and lower cities, but President Shinra decided to increase the number of Reactors to eight, one for each sector, so as to provide for their future growth.

Soon all eight Mako Reactors were fully functional and ready to go, and they would surround eight different points of the whole city with the same distance between each other, and would be built around the Plate rather than above it, which meant they had to be large enough to tower over both the lower and upper cities of Midgar. 

Even the massive Shinra Headquarters building would seem small to the Reactors in comparison, as that only stood on the very centre of the Plate, and therefore only towered over the upper cities on it.

When the Reactors were first activated, and were proven to be completely successful, the citizens of the city rejoiced with the knowledge that they would never run out of power and electricity, using this method. 

For a fair while, no one even noticed the deadly side effect that these Mako Reactors were having on the environment and the Planet itself, at least not the people on the Plate itself, but below the Plate, in the Slums, there were signs that gave Shinra plenty of reason to worry.

Down below, the Slums (lower cities) had become very polluted, as the residual materials from factories and the Mako Reactors alike, had settled down below.

Within five miles of the slums, outside of Midgar, all plant life quickly died out and disappeared, and soon enough, all of the animals went with it. Professor Gast and his main assistant, a man named Hojo, along with some other Shinra scientists, realised that extracting Mako energy from nature was seriously harming the Planet in some way.

Deciding not to cause a panic among the public, President Shinra buried all those reports and effectively covered-up all the information on the subject, making it strictly clear to his executives and scientists that the information must never be revealed to the public, or there would be severe consequences in store for them. 

Fearing what this threat might mean, they all kept quiet about it, as the Shinra Science Department continued looking for new ways to use their miracle energy source, a way that would not harm the Planet. 

But President Shinra ordered them to simply ignore those facts, and instead concentrate on finding out if Mako energy could help them in other ways as well. The Science Department went to work at once, and soon made some important discoveries.

By condensing Mako energy, they found they had created a small crystal ball that could somehow harness a certain power of the Planet. Calling this item "Materia" they put it to use with the Shinra's military, which was led by Heidegger, the head of Shinra Public Safety Maintenance.

Another miracle use that scientists had found concerning Mako energy was with human beings. By exposing an individual to low amounts of Mako energy, they discovered that both the physical and mental strength of the exposed individual increased dramatically.

But it was also discovered that it was highly dangerous to expose a person to high amounts of Mako energy, as the result of it would turn an ordinary person into a savage, bloodthirsty monster of some sort.

President Shinra immediately went ahead with the idea of 'Mako infusement' though, and he soon started the SOLDIER program, and had the most elite and brave of his army become Mako infused (though they were careful to infuse them with only the required amount of Mako), to become members of SOLDIER, which would soon become his most elite and feared army of all.

One other physical side effect to this process was that the Mako infused individual now had eyes that glowed brightly, and this was seen as a useful identifying feature to recognize members of SOLDIER. The SOLDIER program was started just in time for a war with the great nation of Wutai.

For the past few years, Shinra and Wutai had been in open conflict over business territory. Open war soon broke out between them, and by the looks of things; the war would go on for a long time, and things would get very ugly. Deciding to put his untested SOLDIERS to use, the tide of the war turned slowly for Shinra at first.

Then suddenly, with the troops all under the command of a single SOLDIER named Sephiroth, things went completely in Shinra's favour in no time at all. Only three years into the war itself, Wutai surrendered unconditionally.

Sephiroth had entered Wutai and destroyed the entire Wutai army head on with nothing more than his and the world's most powerful sword and most powerful hand-held weapon, the Masumane, as well as using his own perfected Materia, and he had come out of it all with not even a scratch. 

From then on, Sephiroth became a legendary hero, well known and admired by everyone worldwide. However, the once great, proud nation of Wutai had now been reduced to no more than a tourist attraction.

Pleased and very satisfied with the results of the war, President Shinra turned his attention to the now free global market, knowing triumphantly that there was no other nation or anyone else that could stop Shinra Incorporated from becoming the rulers of the whole Planet itself.

Sending his top executives and department leaders (Scarlet, Heidegger, Reeve, Palmer and Hojo) to all other cities and towns in the world, he convinced many of the local leaders to build Mako Reactors in their city or town too, one Reactor for each one. Not knowing the side effect they had on the Planet, the cities and towns all agreed, the citizens liking the idea of vast, effective electricity in their homes.

Soon, even the entire world itself seemed to be at the fingertip of that one man. As a few years went by, however, some tragic Reactor accidents occurred, with Reactors exploding and killing many of the citizens nearby. 

President Shinra, fearing that someone, or something, was trying to rebel against him and put him out of business, began using his military armies and SOLDIERS to oppress the masses that occurred. Small groups began to protest, but they were quickly silenced.

As a result, no one felt they had the power to do anything against them. This is the world that Shinra made…

Nowadays, the dark city of Midgar was still a very big place that wasn't too old, but it was still the very biggest and most powerful city in the world, and it was shaped like a circle.

Midgar was divided into eight sections, from Sector 1 to Sector 8. Midgar was covered by a huge Plate built right above it, which held the upper Midgar cities on top of it, and blocked out the sky and the sun from the lower Midgar cities' view, and prevented the sun ever shining down on the lower cities (the Slums) of Midgar.

Nearly every citizen in lower Midgar was poor, (except for the people living on the Plate in upper Midgar) and Shinra, who were a now huge, very wealthy and evil organisation that took control of the entire world, ran the whole city, not caring at all about the citizens of Midgar or the world. 

Some people had begun to hate Shinra, but they were all too afraid to stand up to them. In the middle of upper Midgar, was the massive Shinra Headquarters building, where many of the bosses and workers of Shinra lived and worked.

Shinra had built eight special Reactors around Midgar, which sucked the energy of the Planet out of the ground. Shinra was making a lot of money doing this, even though they were slowly destroying the Planet.

Shinra didn't care at all about other people, and they only cared about themselves, power and money. Many things seemed miserable at lower Midgar, (nicknamed the city of darkness and nightmares), but not Shinra, who were more than satisfied with their total domination over Midgar and the rest of the world. 

There was no one who could stop them, or even dare to try. No one, that is, until a certain small band of rebels, under leadership of a most vengeful man, decided to take action against them…

At the Sector 8 upper city of Midgar, sitting on the Plate itself, held up above the lower city, a flower girl from the lower city (the Slums) of Sector 5, was busy selling flowers to the citizens who lived there.

"Flowers! Flowers for sale! Only a gil each!" called the flower girl, trying to make herself heard above all the noise of the crowd in the area. 

Of those who did hear her though, some did not even glance at her, while the few that did merely gave her an incredulous look of disbelief and scorn, before walking off along the city without another look back.

The flower girl sighed to herself, and shook her head wearily. She wasn't in the least bit surprised. Flowers in Midgar were so very rare, and it was generally believed that they did not grow in the whole city at all, so it was hardly surprising that no one really believed she was selling genuine flowers from Midgar, and did not take much notice of her. 

The whole fact of it all did nothing to hide away her disappointment, however. And the people who really did take notice of her were men that were only interested in her appearance rather than the flowers, and that had only served to make her situation even worse.

The flower girl was twenty-two years old, had a rather slim figure, and soft, long chestnut brown hair wrapped up in a ponytail that seemed to shine at every moment, and she had bright emerald green eyes that also shone in her flawless face, so by all, she was considered very beautiful indeed.

She wore a crimson red jacket, with a bright, long pink dress underneath it ending with brown boots at her feet, and she also wore a pink ribbon around her ponytail to keep it tightened up, with a white bauble-like glass ball tied to the middle of the pink ribbon as well.

        She was carrying a basket of flowers around her arm, and she was selling the flowers to other people for little money, and this was a very rare sight in Midgar since there were no other flower girls due to the total lack of plants in Midgar, which were almost never seen in the Slums. The flower girl's name was Aeris Gainsborough.

Aeris was the only person in the whole of the Slums of Midgar who was somehow able to grow flowers (since there was no sun or rain in Midgar due to the Plate blocking out the sky from the Slums, and the atmosphere of the whole city in general as well).

Therefore, how she managed to grow flowers in the dark city at all was simply considered a completely astonishing mystery to every other person, and they were all extremely baffled on the subject, and refused to dwell on it, which of course didn't make selling flowers in Midgar all that easy.

"(I'm a little baffled about it myself. But it only seems natural to me that I can grow flowers in this sort of place, even without sunlight or rain. I can't really expect anyone else to believe it though,) thought Aeris, sorrowfully.

Aeris went all the way from the Slums of Sector 5 to the Sector 8 upper city with her flowers to try and bring some happiness, life and colour to the dark and gloomy city of Midgar, for once. But, as usual, it wasn't working very well.

The dark city simply seemed just as dark and gloomy as ever, and Aeris simply couldn't do anything about it, just like everyone else in the Slums, even though she somehow seemed unique and different in a lot of respects, like being able to grow flowers with no actual sunlight.

Aeris sighed in disappointment, but she was determined not to give up so easily. As ever, she absolutely refused to give up, her will and resolve both extremely strong, and truly unbreakable. Aeris seemed somehow like a bright star of hope in the dark city of Midgar, a light to shine out all of the darkness.

But Aeris was alone, as she had nearly always been. She had no friends, no family (not by blood, anyway) and she had barely any knowledge of her origins at all, only the very basic facts of it, and even this basic knowledge still came as an amazement to her and to the few other people who knew about it, but she had always suspected that her answers must lay somewhere outside of Midgar. She didn't know why, but she felt absolutely certain about this fact. Her pink dress unfolded slightly as she stood up straight on her feet.

Aeris carefully hung her wicker basket, containing several colourful and beautiful flowers, around her arm, and she made her way down the alleyway. Drunken louts staggered out of the Goblin's Bar on her left. Aeris passed the back entrance of it, nearby the theatre.

Currently showing was a play called Loveless, but the next performance didn't start until the evening and the doors were locked. But in Midgar, it was simply like night time permanently, and few of the poor people in the Slums could really tell whether it was day or night at all.

Eight huge Mako Reactors, each positioned in eight different places around the whole of Midgar with the same distance between them, sucked energy out of the ground and converted it into electricity, spewing giant green clouds of smog at the same time. 

Aeris stopped at the curb as a chunky motorcycle roared past, and she looked up at the Mako Reactor that towered far above the Sector 8 upper and lower city, just as the other seven Reactors did at the other seven sectors of the whole city. Midgar was certainly a city of nightmares.

"(The Mako Reactors…slowly but surely sucking up the energy of the Planet itself. The Planet's getting weaker…I can feel it somehow. It's as if it's screaming in pain and weariness…and if this keeps up, who knows how long it's going to last…)" thought Aeris.

Aeris wished that she had been brought up in a cleaner town such as Wutai or Mideel, but certain complications meant she had to stay in the urban disaster, living in fear and anxiety every single day, and she had never once set even one foot outside the dark city in her entire life. She simply had no choice, and turned back to the dark alley.

Alone in the dark alley, Aeris stood alone there in deep thought. If one were to have peered down the alley at her, they would have seen her lips moving, but with no sound escaping, but no one really noticed her.

"(Doesn't anyone see the effect that the Mako Reactors are having? Or do they just not care at all? Knowing Shinra, I guess it's the latter part. But even so, this whole thing has to be stopped somehow…)" thought Aeris, though she knew that she could do nothing to help the Planet, especially considering that it would be by herself.

She nodded slowly…then shook her head…and whispered something to herself, still clearly in very deep thought about the subject to pay more attention to anything else around her at the present moment. 

With a weary sigh, she got slowly back up off the ground, brushed the loose, wet gravel off her knees and off her pink dress, and picked up the woven basket of flowers she carried, and walked on.

Aeris headed to the mouth of the alleyway, and was just about to cross the street when a pair of loud motorcycles flew right past her, pouring steam and rotten gas fumes into the air, mixed with the terrible smell of stale Mako energy from the Reactor that towered over the city.

Aeris wrinkled her nose up at the horrible smell and coughed slightly. Several more people brushed past her as they moved along the sidewalk, and a rusted-out old blue car followed the motorcycles.

Aeris often wondered why she had even bothered to try to bring colour to this black city by selling flowers, when she knew the situation here was pretty hopeless. Far above her, other than the Reactor belching noxious green clouds of burnt Mako energy, stood the massive Shinra Headquarters itself, in the very centre of the Plate, but it still towered over the upper cities, and could be just as easily seen as the Reactors in the opposite direction of the tower.

Surrounding the massive building in the centre, from eight different corners on the outer side of the whole city, were the eight Mako Reactors that sucked energy out of the living earth itself and converted it into usable electricity for resources, appliances, and other such things. The huge column of glass and steel hung ominously over the city.

In the centre of the Plate and the whole upper and lower cities, was the massive Shinra tower, the Shinra Headquarters. It was far taller and larger than any other man-made construction in the entire Planet and was made up of about 70 floors, each floor with an ant farm of Shinra employees, working all day long to maintain power for the whole city.

The Shinra Headquarters towered over the whole city of Midgar in the centre of it, just as the Mako Reactors also do, on the outskirts of it in the eight points of the circle-shaped structure of Midgar. 

The whole Plate surrounded the building before the Reactors, with the upper cities and sectors on top of the Plate, while the lower city (the Slums) were far below the gigantic Plate, which was held up by several support structures in each sector to keep it and the upper cities from crashing down onto the Slums and lower cities.

"(The Shinra Headquarters…home to Shinra Incorporated themselves. Soon, they'll probably come after me again. I know they won't ever give up, no matter where I go, or how long it takes. And I don't know if I can evade them by myself for much longer…)" thought Aeris, grimly.

Deciding to get out of the crowd and traffic for some peace and quiet in this city for once, Aeris noticed another narrow alleyway, and she walked into it alone, still carefully carrying her basket of flowers. As she walked down the alleyway, she suddenly noticed a small blazing green fire at the ground before a brick wall.

"(Green flames? How very bizarre, but that's not the unusual thing about it…I can somehow…sense something from the flames…something very strange indeed…)" thought Aeris, perplexed.

Intrigued for a reason that she couldn't explain, Aeris knelt down slowly in front of the green fire, gazing deeply at it, her emerald green eyes locked on the similarly green flames, as she gently lay her basket of flowers beside her, folded the edges of her pink dress, and clasped her hangs together.

Mysteriously, Aeris seemed to see something in her mind, something beyond the darkness behind the flames. A night sky with several dozen stars and galaxies all around, and she suddenly heard a faint sound from it, as though something was trying to communicate from there.

"(What is this? It's as if…as if the stars themselves are alive somehow…and the Planet itself…seems to be trying to speak…to say something. It seems impossible to imagine…but I feel…as if it really is trying to call for help…)" thought Aeris, awestruck, staring into the flames.

Leaning even closer to the fire now, her emerald green eyes glowing, Aeris started to speak, to communicate, when she suddenly felt herself being grabbed roughly at her shoulders, and being hauled onto her feet. At once, the bizarre connection was broken as quickly as it had come.

Startled, she averted her gaze from the fire, which quickly went out like a light, and she stumbled backwards slightly before seeing four thugs standing in front of her in the alleyway, arms folded and looking menacing.

Aeris knew these people, and quickly grabbed her basket of flowers from the ground and took a few steps backwards, her stomach suddenly cold.

"Well well, Aeris, long time no see again. Your week's up, and we're getting very…impatient," hissed one man, with a few gold teeth and several broken ones, with greasy hair and cold grey eyes. 

The others behind him sniggered mischievously, their eyes looking right at her in a way she certainly didn't like whatsoever, so she ignored as best she could.

"What do you want, Vulcue?" demanded Aeris, attempting to make her voice sound hard and furious, but she couldn't entirely disguise the shaky nervousness of her tone, and they noticed it too. The leers of the men grew wider. Vulcue sneered nastily at her.

"Don't you play dumb with me, Aeris, you know full-well what I want. I'm gonna get my 3,000 gil one way or another, so pay up or we're gonna take a little visit to the Don. I'm sure he'll be very pleased to see someone like you, pleased enough to…heh, heh, heh…" sniggered Vulcue, braking off as he leered at her, while the others were sniggering stupidly.

Aeris didn't need him to finish his sentence, she knew perfectly well what the Don of the Slums would do to her, like he did to all other girls, and the very thought of it only made her stomach grow colder.

"Look, I'm just selling flowers right now for that money, and if you would just give me a day, I'll have the money and give it to you, and then you just leave me alone," said Aeris, sharply, but with a little desperation in her voice too. The thugs still sneered nastily at her.

"By selling only one measly gil for a flower each? Pathetic, woman, pathetic. You know…you ought to try selling your body instead, you'd knock any man dead in a second for tons of cash," said Vulcue, nastily, as he reached out and pinched her cheek hard.

Aeris slapped his hand away at once and she actually succeeding in hurting the bastard, but Vulcue snarled viciously and punched her straight across the same cheek he'd pinched, sending Aeris falling to the ground in a heap, though she quickly sat-up back up, clutching her bruised cheek, and glaring at them defiantly. The men roared with laughter.

"I'll be expecting that money later on, Aeris. And if you don't have it ready for us…then on second thought, we might just have that body of yours for US, instead of the Don," said Vulcue, nastily. 

He and his thugs roared with laughter again as they left the alleyway into the streets, and they were soon out of sight among the crowd.

As soon as they were out of sight, Aeris slowly chanted to herself, her eyes closed and hands clasped, still kneeling on the ground and concentrating calmly, as a wave of bright energy suddenly seemed to wash through and around her, and her cheek was no longer bruised, and it no longer hurt either, not in the least, nor did her body.

"(There, completely healed. I'm still not quite sure how I can heal myself like that when no one else can, but like growing the flowers, it just seems all too natural for me. But it's another thing about me I'd better keep to myself…)" thought Aeris, knowing that this was yet another thing people would find too hard to believe, that they would harshly judge her for.

Aeris could well have killed those men in an instant if she had only used her Materia, but she was frightened and nervous, and she had never killed anyone before, nor did she like the idea of that sort of thing either.

Therefore, she was at a loss of what to do about her situation. And Vulcue and his cronies weren't the only threat that she faced at Midgar. They weren't even the worst of it whatsoever…

The city of nightmares…now more than ever, that was certainly what the city seemed like to Aeris, and she felt a profound desire to leave this detestable place forever, even fantasying that one day her knight in shining armour would come to take her away from this place and the suffering she had endured from it, but she knew dreams like that never became reality, and knew that she would have to face every day of her life being stuck in this urban nightmare…

Deciding that she'd better leave the alley before anything else happened, Aeris got back up, hung her basket of flowers back around her arm, and walked out of the alleyway to the streets of the Sector 8 upper city, and proceeded to try to sell her flowers, needing the money for several different reasons, and for a moment, she had entirely forget about the green flames, and the strange sound and the stars that had seemed to come right from them…


	2. Reactor N01: Avalanche

_Chapter 2_ _AVALANCHE_

Meanwhile, having travelled from the Slums of Sector 7 to the upper city of Sector 8, at the area just before the Mako Reactor N01, a large metallic steam train came to a screeching halt in the Reactor's train station, and behind it stood the massive Mako Reactor N01 itself.

Pistons pumped and gases hissed from the train as it had grinded to an abrupt halt. Two Shinra platform guards in smart red uniforms stood watch at the station, watching as the train headed towards the station, expecting a dull routine of keeping a close watch on the passengers from the train.

"Reactor guard duty again…this sucks. As if anyone's gonna try to sneak into here," said the first guard, snorting, looking both sceptical and bored. The second guard nodded in clear agreement.

"Yeah, tell me about it. But that's the bosses for ya, always paranoid. Anyways, here comes the train. We just gotta make sure no unauthorised person enters the Mako Reactor. Just the employees, soldiers, and executives," said the second guard, though he looked rather bored as he said it.

The coolant systems on the train's engines and wheels quickly sprung to life, bathing the hot parts with chilly foam, filling the air with the smell of burning rubber.

The two guards at the station pinched their noses and tried to wave the nasty smell away. When the train had fully stopped, and while the guards were distracted by the smell, a man suddenly leaped straight from the top of the train, landing onto the ground of the train station, having apparently sneaked up onto the train roof, unnoticed.

He was wearing a crimson red bandana on his forehead, and he also wore a dark green shirt with dark green jeans. He had black hair that seemed very flat, and his name was Biggs. Biggs was a veteran of the Wutai Wars, and he had been an expert in demolitions, which was the role he now did for AVALANCHE.

The guards hadn't seen Biggs leap from the train roof, but they had heard the sound of Biggs landing on the station, and spun around in the direction of the sound, looking highly surprised and shocked as they spotted Biggs, realising at once that he was an unauthorised person trying to sneak into the Mako Reactor. Biggs looked back at them at the other end of the station, looking calm but deadly serious.

"(So it begins at last…the very first mission. The very first stand against the great Shinra Incorporated. After this, it's too late to back out of it…if we even survive this mission…)" thought Biggs, grimly.

Noticing Biggs, the two guards charged towards him, intending to capture him at once, but Biggs quickly spun around to face them, knowing that they would underestimate him, to their fatal downfall. Silently and effortlessly, Biggs reached out and slung one of them over his shoulder, smashing the soldier's face on to the cold platform, knocking him out cold.

Biggs kicked the guard hard in the side, sending him flying to the side of the train, and the guard fell to the ground with a loud thud after slamming off the side of the train, landing in the railroad, and he was killed instantly, due to landing in quite an odd angle.

A woman then leaped straight onto the train station from the top of the train, just like Biggs had done, having also apparently sneaked onto it unnoticed, and the woman stood beside Biggs. She had bushy brown hair and wore a bright blue shirt with dark green jeans. She wore a red bandana, and a green ribbon that tied her brown hair into a ponytail.

Her name was Jessie, and she was highly intelligent, and she was also a very quick thinker. She was also extremely experienced at computing and hacking skills, and was therefore the technical genius in the AVALANCHE rebel group.

"(I think I've organised all the settings for the bombs, codes, timers and remotes…I just hope all my calculations were correct in every detail, or we won't even stand a chance…)" thought Jessie, anxiously.

Jessie quickly spun around to face the remaining guard, who charged towards them, and she quickly grabbed him by his collar, throwing him straight over her head, and the guard was killed instantly when he hit the hard ground headfirst, and twisted his neck in the fall. Jessie spun around to face Biggs, who looked back at her.

"Did you see anymore of these guys around here in this station, Biggs?" asked Jessie, urgently, looking cautiously around the train station for any sign of attack. Biggs shook his head in response.

"No, I think that these two guys were the only ones standing guard over here. They'll be more Shinra soldiers up ahead though, as we get closer to the Mako Reactor, I'm certain about that," said Biggs.

"Still, it looks like Shinra's getting a little sloppy organising a suitable defence around here. Not that I'm complaining about it, of course. So…it looks like this is it then. The very first mission…after all those months of preparation…for this very moment," said Jessie, solemnly.

"Yeah, it does seem quite hard to believe it's finally happening after all this time, doesn't it? You nervous, Jessie?" asked Biggs, curiously.

"As nervous as hell. I'm sure we all are, but none of us are backing out now, no matter what. Shinra Incorporated have to be stopped, and if we don't do it, then who will?" said Jessie, with a shrug.

"Yeah, I guess I see your point, Jessie. But we've sure got a hell of a mountain to climb all the same," said Biggs, looking worried and grim. Jessie seemed nervous at his words and quickly changed the subject.

"Are the bombs all ready? It's your job to sort the demolitions out, after all," said Jessie. Biggs nodded, looking confident about it.

"Yeah, I've made sure all the necessary equipment was secretly ordered, and I've made sure that the bombs are all properly built and constructed. How about you, though? You're the technical expert, you got their settings all set up?" asked Biggs, curiously.

"I'm still waiting for direct orders from Barret, as to what the exact settings for the bomb's timer should be, or if it should be a remote detonation, but other than that, everything's good to go," said Jessie, confidently.

"Alright then, since this area's been cleared, I'll signal for the others," said Biggs, and he quickly signalled the inside of the train with a gesture of his arm.

The message had clearly been received, as another man jumped straight onto the train station from the top of the train, though it was with much less grace. 

This man was quite fat and chubby, but still reasonably fit, and he wore a bright red cap and a cream coloured shirt with blue jeans. He had scruffy black hair under his red cap, and his name was Wedge.

Wedge knew many things about Midgar, and was a veteran in the knowledge of the dark city, having once worked at a Reactor, but had left when realising how bad to the core Shinra really was. 

Right now, he was the navigator of AVALANCHE, showing their way around the Reactors. Wedge chuckled to himself as he stood watch, noticing that there were no guards left in the area of the train station.

"All clear, then? At least sneaking into the train and this station didn't take all that much effort, but I guess things are going to get a lot harder once we enter the Mako Reactor, right? Makes me nervous just thinking about it," said Wedge, looking uneasy, but he still had no intention of leaving all the same, and even if he was scared, he would still help the Planet and fight for its survival.

"Then don't think about it, because there's no backing out of this now, you know. So are Barret and the new guy coming or what?" asked Biggs, somewhat impatiently, looking back at the train for signs of movement inside it.

"Don't worry about that, they're gonna follow after us. So anyway, if we take that passage at the end of the station, it should lead to a locked gate. Beyond that is the reactor bridge, and then we're into the Reactor itself. So let's go, Barret said we have to get there right away," explained Wedge.

"Wait, didn't Barret say that we all have to go separately, and not travel as a group, so as to look less suspicious to nearby soldiers?" asked Jessie, raising an eyebrow. Biggs snorted in response.

"Oh come on, there's no time for that. We've got to all hurry and get going right now, some come on!" said Biggs, impatiently, as he then quickly ran off to the passage, with Wedge following him, and after a weary sigh and shake of her head, Jessie followed them as well.

"(Boys…they never listen to common sense at all. Always wanting to rush off into battle instead of thinking things out logically,) thought Jessie, exasperated.

Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all ran down together to the far end of the station, turning left through a passage that left the train station, and it would soon lead to the very entrance of Mako Reactor N0.1 itself. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were all working together to complete their plan, their mission, as they were friends and allies in the same rebel group.

Just after they were out of sight, yet another man jumped onto the train station from the top of the still unmoving train, landing with a big thud on the ground of the station, leaving some cracks in the pavement of it, but the man himself was not affected in the least.

This man was massive, though not in the sense that Wedge was, as he was very muscular rather than fat, and was quite tall as well, so in appearance he seemed very imposing and threatening to most people, a fact that he often used to his advantage.

He was thirty-five years old, and he was a dark-skinned black man. He had short, black hair, and he had dark, brown eyes, which often wore a hard expression. He wore a brown, very tattered-looking jacket with dark-green jeans. But this man had no right arm at all.

Instead of a right arm, he had a large Gatling machine gun in place of it instead, grafted into the slump of his wrist, having lost the rest of his arm years ago. 

Nobody knew how he had lost his arm, except for this man himself, of course, and perhaps Shinra knew as well, if they had figured out the connection between them back then. His name was Barret Wallace.

"(Damn Shinra! I've been waiting four whole years, but now it's finally about time for a little payback from those rotten bastards!)" thought Barret, furiously.

Once on the train station, Barret quickly signalled for another man to come out with his left and only hand (the other man was the last member of the team) so the man somersaulted straight from the top of the train and landed onto the station in an amazing back flip, landing just in front of Barret and not stumbling in the least.

"(Damn bigheaded cocky show off! What the hell does he think he's doing anyways, this is an important mission, not some damn ego boost!)" thought Barret, angrily.

This other man had blonde, very spiky-shaped hair that was always sticking up like that as though he made no effort to brush it down, and he wore a dark purple shirt that seemed almost dark blue, and he wore black jeans.

He had blue eyes that were always glowing brightly, and he carried a huge, wide, heavy sword as his weapon that many people would have found hard to even lift, but this man could handle it very easily, and his enormous sword could cut almost anything in two. This man's name was Cloud Strife, and he was twenty-one years old.

Cloud was an Ex-SOLDIER, which was why his eyes always glowed, since he had been infused with Mako energy just like every other SOLDIER, and he was now a mercenary, having just recently joined up with this group, having been hired to help them with this mission, but after the mission was over, he was planning to leave as soon as possible. Barret's loud, irritated words snapped Cloud out of his thoughts.

"Come on, newcomer, follow me! Hey, get off your spiky-ass and get a move on, will ya!? Ain't you ever gonna come!? We ain't got all goddamn day, ya know!" yelled Barret, impatiently, clearly agitated about something.

        "Yeah, yeah, cool it. Alright already, I'm coming," said Cloud, coolly, shrugging, thinking that Barret was definitely over reacting, but Barret was still clearly irritated all the same, as he glared hard at Cloud.

"Damn show off! Just because I tell ya to come down here don't mean ya gotta somersault right off the bloody train! That's why you'll never be leader of a mission, if ya don't even take it seriously!" shouted Barret.

"I am only here to get my rightful pay for this task, and nothing else. I will do any mission by myself, without anyone else's assistance," said Cloud, coldly, his voice now icy, starting to get annoyed with Barret's clear agitation.

"Well, you're only gonna get your goddamn pay after this damn job is over and done with to my satisfaction, ya got it, dumb ass!?" shouted Barret, irritably.

Turning away, Barret quickly ran down the path out of the station leading to the Mako Reactor, in the same direction that Biggs, Wedge and Jessie had went. Cloud stared after him coldly and indifferently.

"(How did I ever get myself into this stupid mess? All this effort of blowing up a Mako Reactor and listening to that guy's rambling had better be worth the money,)" thought Cloud, irritably, as he quickly followed Barret. 

Two Shinra soldiers suddenly ran from another passage, spotted Cloud and ran towards him to attack him, having apparently not noticed Barret or any of the others.

Cloud saw them coming, and he quickly came to a halt, though he looked irritated and impatient rather than being worried or nervous.

        "Freeze, intruder! Do not attempt to move! Go even one inch and we will shoot you! Give it up, you're finished!" shouted one of the Shinra soldiers, in a commanding tone.

Cloud looked completely indifferent about unconcerned about the situation he currently found himself in, and he knew that these Shinra soldiers were certainly incompetent if they had just let four other rebels slip through their grasp without even noticing them.

"Hand a man a gun, and he suddenly feels invincible to everything else around him. I guess I'll have to do this the hard way then. Let me show you the error of your ways," said Cloud, coolly, and he readied his wide, massive sword in a flash as if it weighed no more than a wristwatch.

Cloud then quickly launched into attack, using his sword, and attacked one of the soldiers before the soldier could even react, slashing the sword straight through his chest and cutting right through his armour, and killing the soldier instantly in a shower of blood, as the bloody corpse fell to the ground.

Terrified, the other soldier quickly used his machine gun and fired some bullets at Cloud, but Cloud managed to hold his sword up in front of him and blocked all the bullets with it without much effort, as the guns they carried appeared not to be all that powerful, just as their armour didn't appear to be that tough, against the strength of Cloud's blade.

Cloud then attacked with his sword, slashing it through the armour and the stomach of the other soldier, killing this soldier instantly as well, with the sword slashing straight through him, cutting him in half, as the body fell in two pieces to a bloody heap on the ground. Cloud wiped the bloodstains off his sword, and then he sheathed it just as quickly as he had drawn it only moments before.

"Business as usual," said Cloud, coolly, with an indifferent and unconcerned shrug.

Ten feet in front, Barret snorted at him, having apparently stopped to watch Cloud's brief battle, and Cloud could tell that Barret was impressed, despite himself. 

But that was something he knew that Barret was never going to admit to him or anyone, as Barret gave him an irritated and impatient look.

"Yeah whatever, you damn show off, now come on and just follow me!" shouted Barret, sharply, and he ran off towards the passage towards the Mako Reactor.

"(He really has some attitude problems. His manners sure need a lot of work too, or he'll never get any new recruits or members if he treats them like this. Not that I care about it though, I'm certainly not sticking around regardless,)" thought Cloud, coldly.

Cloud shrugged, and he quickly followed Barret. He quickly ran down the passage where Barret and the others had gone and he tried to catch up with them, although he soon lost sight of Barret, and just continued to run along the passage, seeing the Mako Reactor towering above the whole area, very close from where he was, and ran in the direction of it.

Cloud finally came to a locked security gate, and found Biggs, Wedge and Jessie standing outside it, trying to get it open using codes. Cloud couldn't see Barret around, and just assumed that he hadn't arrived yet and must have taken a different path.

"(So it's only these guys that are other members of AVALANCHE? Not bad fighting skills from what I've seen, but I don't think they'll stand any chance up against platoons of Shinra soldiers. Barret doesn't know what he's getting himself into by relying on only them against the whole might of Shinra Incorporated,)" thought Cloud.

Jessie knelt before the security gate, huddled over a rectangular box marked with a keypad and a digital strip that was reading out dull orange numbers and letters in lines faster than the eye could follow. Luckily, she didn't actually have to follow them, though. These were secret codes they would use to open the gates, so the group could break through into the Mako Reactor.

Wires running from the back of the box were spliced into the couplings that kept the gate locked. From her splicing box, a coiled wire attached to a simple telephone handset fed her the most important numbers and letters in slow beeps to open the locked security gate. She worked the pad accordingly, feeding it the numbers it wanted to open the gate.

There were so many things to consider. Opening the gate, she knew, was like a point of no return. Beyond this gate was possible death, only it would be up to luck and fate whose death would come, and it could very well be hers.

"(But that was always our possible fate the moment we decided to go up against the Shinra Incorporated, and there's no changing that now. Fate can sometimes be how a person chooses it to be, and that's how it will be now, we can defy Shinra Incorporated, and live on to defeat them for good,)" thought Jessie, determinedly.

Pushing aside her thoughts, she continued to work on getting the codes entered. Despite the fact that this mission was the largest, most important and most dangerous she had ever embarked on, and that opening the gates would only further ensure that she could not turn back, there was something about falling into her work that made it easier.

Following the tones of the codes running through the electrical system of the gate couplings, Jessie felt blessed peace descend upon her. It made her job much easier, focusing on electronics and technical stuff, it had always fascinated her, and it kept her from dwelling on the dangers ahead.

Wedge stood to her left, paying no particular attention to what she was doing. He was rocking back and forth on his heels, and his considerable bulk swayed with the motion. It was an irritating habit that would have driven Jessie to distraction on any normal day. But this was no normal day.

"(I've honestly never been so scared in my whole entire life…yet for some reason, I still feel compelled to go forward with this mission…and with this whole rebellion…Compelled to fight for the Planet…)" thought Wedge.

All of them were nervous, but they knew that this was what they had shed their blood, sweat, and tears for. This was their fight. They would fight for the Planet. They might even have to die for it if they weren't careful. But if they didn't fight at all, then the Planet would definitely die, and they with it, along with everyone else.

Biggs crossed his arms in front of his chest and watched Jessie keying in the code. He could easily imagine several groups of Shinra soldiers coming around the far corner, all of them armed with machine guns.

"(No way that can happen, especially so early, before we ever really make our stand against them. Even if we don't succeed, we're still gonna put up a hell of a fight to show Shinra that they're never as invincible as they would like to think,)" thought Biggs.

The Shinra soldiers, though, would see them at the gate, and immediately recognize that they were intruders. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie would be able to take many of them down, but not all of them, and eventually they would...Biggs squinted his eyes shut tightly, and forced the image away.

Wedge was looking around for enemies and being the lookout, although he seemed somewhat nervous, while Jessie was still squatting in front of the gate panel with a tool pouch, trying to disarm the security codes and open the gate. Biggs spun around in alarm when he heard Cloud running towards them, but he quickly relaxed when he saw who it was, having already been given an explanation and description about Cloud from Barret on the train.

"So then, you're the newcomer who Barret told us about, huh? Wow, looks like you used to be in SOLDIER, alright! It's not everyday that you find one in an anti-Shinra group like AVALANCHE. What a great stroke of luck for us, though. I'm glad you decided to help us after all. Well done, although I guess an Ex-SOLDIER like you has seen far more dangerous enemies," said Biggs, clearly impressed indeed with Cloud's skills, having evidently seen him fight against the two Shinra soldiers he had slaughtered earlier.

Cloud merely snorted in response, although Biggs was quite right in that regard. He had faced far more dangerous enemies than mere Shinra soldiers, and one particular enemy he had faced had been stronger beyond imagination, beyond one's wildest nightmares…

        With a slight shudder, which no one else seemed to notice, to his relief, Cloud blocked out his thoughts on that subject once again, and the emotions that came with them. His composure quickly regained, Cloud looked indifferently at Biggs.

"Yeah well, don't thank me just yet. This mission is far from over. And besides, I'm not going to be around long enough to care. So don't sweat it too much," replied Cloud, coldly.

Having been listening with interest to the conversation while working intently on the codes for the gate, Jessie stopped working for a second as a thought occurred to her, as she looked up and turned around to face Biggs, with a puzzled and suspicious look on her face.

"(Wait, did Biggs just say what I think he said…? This new guy was one of our enemies? Hmmm…well, I think he's kind of cute and all, but if he's still a danger to us then there's no way we can trust him,)" thought Jessie, and then she spoke up, getting their attention.

"He's a SOLDIER? But aren't they supposed to be the enemy or something? Just what's he doing with us in AVALANCHE, then? Biggs, I thought that SOLDIER are the enemy. How come is he helping us?" asked Jessie, sharply, and glancing at Cloud with sudden suspicion. 

Cloud took no notice or concern of this, not caring for their ridiculous assumptions, while Biggs hastened nervously to reply, shaking his head quickly.

"Hold it, Jessie, just relax. He was in SOLDIER, and he was indeed part of Shinra. But don't jump to conclusions. He quit them, and now he's one of us. He's on our side, and for some good money too, I hear. Nice to have an Ex-SOLDIER on our side too, it gives Shinra a taste of their own medicine, a nice bit of irony. Hey new guy, that reminds me, I didn't even catch your name. At least, I don't remember you telling us your name," said Biggs, glancing at Cloud. 

Jessie turned away to concentrate on resuming her work with the locked gate and its codes, getting steadily closer to opening it. Cloud only gave Biggs a cold, icy stare. Biggs suddenly felt very open and exposed to his cold stare, but he just managed to keep his nervous smile and composure. Cloud wondered whether he should even bother to answer, either way it wouldn't make much difference, since his stay at AVALANCHE was only going to be temporary after all.

"(Does this guy even remember that I'm only a mercenary on a single job for them? It's not as if I have any loyalty or service to these rag-tag losers or to the Planet for that matter,)" thought Cloud, scornfully.

        "The name's Cloud Strife," replied Cloud, flatly, to Biggs and the others, who all nodded in acknowledgement, though they looked a bit puzzled at the name. Jessie got back to opening the gate; while Wedge continued to keep an eye out around the area for any enemies nearby, as Biggs spoke up again to Cloud.

        "Cloud, huh? What kind of name is that anyway? Never mind, I'm Biggs. Pleased to meet you," said Biggs, holding his hand out politely. Cloud only stared back coldly, and did not take the handshake.

"Listen up, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I don't really care much about what your names are. It can wait until after this mission is over and hopefully the robo-guards won't have come by then. Once this whole job is finished, and when you guys pay me, I'm out of here," said Cloud, sharply. Biggs lowered his hand, taken aback.

"(Well, this guy certainly doesn't seem like the friendliest person around, but then again, I would expect no less from someone who was trained by Shinra Incorporated,)" thought Biggs, and he spoke up again to the seemingly indifferent Ex-SOLDIER, trying not to feel annoyed.

"Yeah, understood. I won't even bother to say hello then, if that's what you prefer, right? Well man, that's no attitude for someone trying to help the Planet! Where do you get off to anyway, deciding to join us once, and then just vanish off into the night?" asked Biggs, frowning.

"Listen, I am a mercenary, and I will do whatever I can for money, for my own payment. For this one mission, Barret had promised me a good sum of money, so I promised him just one full service in return. I owe allegiance to no one. Is that clear enough for you?" asked Cloud, sharply.

Biggs just shrugged and turned away, understanding Cloud's reasons, but he still couldn't help but feel a little offended at his words all the same, particularly at the way they sounded to him.

        Just then, Barret Wallace suddenly showed up from a passage to the right of them, bursting into the area, stopping to the side of them all, and he was in a very annoyed and determined mood.

He looked around at them all, seeing them all there in the same place, and he seemed even more irritated at this, and shook his large one remaining fist around at them in pure fury that made everyone else except Cloud uneasy, knowing this meant Barret was about to lose his temper again. Jessie shot a look at Biggs as if to say 'I told you so', before Barret started to rage at them in anger, as they had expected.

        "What the hell are all of ya doing!? I thought I told ya all never to move in a group! Do you want us to be all caught in one full swoop!? I told you all, until Jessie has got the gate open, hang around somewhere else! Shit, do you not realise how suspicious we all look like this!? Jessie, how's the door along coming, girl?" asked Barret, irritably.

        "I just cracked the code, now all I need to do is transfer the data of my pocket computer into the door. Just two more data figures, and then I'll be done," replied Jessie. Barret nodded, satisfied with the answer, and spoke up again, as the others, even Cloud, paid close attention.

"Good, now get on with it. You've all known that this was our target for months, and now we're finally here. So don't blow it…no, I take that back. We are going to blow it! The Reactor, that is! Anyways, our target is the Sector 1 Mako Reactor. Split up and meet on the bridge in front of it. Now all of ya listen, inside there's gonna be some patrols. Jessie, hurry up with that gate and get moving. Biggs, stand near the front and make sure that the codes for all locked doors are remembered. We need a quick getaway," explained Barret.

"Alright then, leave it to me, Barret," replied Biggs, nodding and saluting grimly to Barret. Barret nodded back at him, and turned to face Wedge, who listened intently to what he had to say.

"Wedge, we need ya to go around to the escape route and guard it. There will be three guards there, but you can handle them alone, no sweat. Then I need you to do the hard part. Crack the code for the main bridge door that opens the tunnel into Sector 8. We can't leave the way we came, or we'll be caught for sure," explained Barret.

"I understand, Barret. I'll get right on it," replied Wedge, also saluting. Barret nodded back at him as well, before he addressed as attention to the whole group, though he seemed to be trying to act as though Cloud wasn't there.

"Remember, all of ya, we can't afford any delays on the way out of here. Now all of ya get ya scrawny asses down to the Reactor, now, on the double," ordered Barret.

Barret was the leader of AVALANCHE and he always liked to boss people around, especially whenever he had a good excuse to do so. But Barret was still a very good leader, extremely strategic and cunning. Jessie quickly snipped the main wire of the gate in half, forcing it to open immediately.

"Ha, I've got it! Alright, the security gate's open. Let's get going down to the Mako Reactor," said Jessie, triumphantly. Barret nodded in response, satisfied, and quickly motioned at them all to go through the gate quickly.

Jessie had successfully got the gate open and she, Biggs and Wedge quickly ran through the gate, and this time they took different directions with different passages leading straight to the Reactor bridge, which would then lead them straight into the Mako Reactor N0.1 itself.

        "Hey, come on, Barret! Hurry up!" called Wedge, looking over his shoulder, before he and the others soon went out of sight along the paths.

Barret started to follow them, but then he quickly stopped just when he was going past the gate, and he turned back to face Cloud, with a very suspicious and enraged look on his black-skinned face.

"I heard the others. A bloody Ex-SOLDIER, eh? Tifa's childhood friend or not, I don't trust ya, ya damn idiot! We got a very important job to do tonight, so if ya got any idea's about turning on us…I'm gonna be the one that wastes your ass!" shouted Barret. 

To make his point more threatening, Barret raised his right arm to reveal the large machine gun that had been grafted right into the stump of his right wrist, in place of where his wrist and hand should have been. 

Cloud noticed this with some surprise and wondered despite himself how Barret lost his right arm, but he was still completely unconcerned by the threat, or by the big black man that stood menacingly before him.

"Well surprise-surprise, that makes two of us. I don't trust you either to be honest, but that is irrelevant now. The sooner we'll get this whole thing over with, the happier that we'll both be. Do you honestly think that I'm going to turn on you, Barret? Is that it? I thought you were at least smarter than that," replied Cloud, coldly. Barret glared angrily at Cloud, his one fist clenched tightly and shaking with rage.

"Just be sure to do the damn mission!" snapped Barret, and he then ran quickly after Biggs, Wedge and Jessie towards the Mako Reactor, without another glance behind him, which didn't bother Cloud in the slightest.

Cloud simply ignored Barret's suspicions, not caring in the least, and he ran along the passage and followed Barret along the paths to the Reactor bridge.

"(Who does that guy think he is anyway? He's lucky that I even agreed to do the damn job, but I doubt that I'll get very much money out of it. It still better be worth it though, since this is getting really annoying,)" thought Cloud.

Cloud ran straight along the passage, turned right, went straight on, turned left and then he kept running straight on until he finally came to the bridge. 

The others were already there as Barret, Jessie and Biggs turned right at the middle of the bridge and ran along the path of the bridge to the opposite end of the bridge and to the entrance of the Mako Reactor.

Wedge was standing opposite Cloud on the bridge at the escape passage, guarding it and making sure no security or enemies came through or towards it.

Three Shinra soldiers were lying dead nearby, each with noticeable gunshot wounds all over them, and with looks of shock and horror glued to their unmoving faces.

Wedge had clearly dealt with them all at once without much effort, as he didn't even have a scratch, attacking and killing them on sight before the soldiers had any chance to counter attack.

The Reactor bridge, which was at least a hundred feet above the Sector 8 upper city, led into the Mako Reactor itself, but it also branched off to the side as well, to the exit they would have to use later.

Wedge just stood in front of the large door labelled "EMERGENCY EXIT" and cast a nervous glance around the area, and then he noticed Cloud standing at the opposite end of the bridge, to the side route of where the entrance to the Mako Reactor itself was.

        "Don't worry, Cloud, I'll secure the escape passage, to make sure it's safe for us to use when we have to get back out of here. I've already given the others instructions on where to go inside the Mako Reactor. Just concentrate on the mission ahead, Cloud. Run after the others, while I just keep watch over here. So, we really are going to blow up this huge furnace at last, huh? This will definitely be something to see," said Wedge, with some clear interest about the whole situation.

Cloud only nodded in response, and then he ran off and followed the others, while Wedge stayed on the bridge and secured the area, watching Cloud run off and then he went back to keeping a lookout on the bridge.

"(I wonder why he left Shinra in the first place…? And why is he so insistent on leaving after this mission anyway? Geez, the guy's a complete and total mystery,)" thought Wedge, before he shook his head clear of his thoughts and concentrated on guarding the exit on the bridge.

Cloud ran along the path, until he finally caught up with Barret, Jessie and Biggs. They were all waiting for him to arrive, and they were outside another security gate with Biggs trying to work out how to get the gate open this time, with more codes to open it. Barret spun around when he heard Cloud coming and snarled at him angrily.

"('Bout time that damn fool came, we been waiting for ages for him to drag his ass up here! Bloody Ex-SOLDIER, there's no way that asshole can be trusted so easily, there's something very suspicious about the guy,)" thought Barret, furious, as he then shouted at Cloud the very moment that he had arrived, though Cloud had already been expecting this to happen by now.

"What the hell took ya so damn long!? You think you can just take ya damn time getting here!?" shouted Barret, sharply and angrily.

"I'm just taking my time. No reason to hurry," replied Cloud, coolly, his voice icy. Barret glared murderously at him, clearing not agreeing with this statement.

"Well, that's because ya so damn slow! Now get ya damn ass over here! Biggs, hurry up and get the damn gate open!" snapped Barret, sharply.

"Yes, Barret," muttered Biggs, annoyed, as he continued to work on opening the security gate. Barret turned back to face Cloud, having calmed down slightly.

"Hey, is this ya very first time inside a Mako Reactor?" asked Barret, curiously. After a moment's thought, Cloud shook his head firmly.

        "No…after all, I did work for Shinra for a fair while, you know. Everyone from Shinra sees and goes into the Mako Reactors every once in a while in their employment with them," replied Cloud.

"Don't you ever go thinking that you're so bad just because ya worked for Shinra. The Planet is full and overflowing with Mako energy. People use it here every day. But no one knows the actual substance of it. Do ya know it? Mako energy is the very life source of this Planet. But Shinra keeps sucking up all of the energy with these weird machines. With this damn hunk of scrap of a Reactor," explained Barret.

"I heard once that Mako energy and the Lifestream were the same thing, but Shinra always denied it. Listen, I've already heard about what happens to the Planet without this stuff, so you're not telling me anything I don't already know. I don't give a damn, old crap about any of this. And I'm not here for a lecture, so let's just hurry. Enough talk, let's just get a move on, so we can get out of here and go before security or the robo-guards come," said Cloud, sharply. Barret's anger flared up once again as he glared sharply at Cloud.

        "Alright, that's it! You're coming with me from now on, hotshot! I've gotta keep my eye on ya in case ya do something sneaky, ya damn turncoat!" snapped Barret, angrily, his intense distrust of the Ex-SOLDIER increasing, but Cloud just looked completely indifferent and unconcerned with Barret's rather severe suspicions.

        "Don't worry, Biggs and I have got the code for this door," said Jessie, reassuringly. Barret steadily calmed down once again, and continued.

"But this Reactor is damn close to a whole lot of Mako energy. Best there was when they built this thing. We bomb it, and this whole place blows sky-high," explained Barret.

"The Reactor will get hot that quickly?" asked Cloud, curiously, looking rather sceptical. At this, Biggs stopped working on opening the gate with the codes for a moment, and looked up at Cloud.

"No, of course not. This thing isn't that cheaply built. But Mako energy combining with oxygen has low activation energy, and it has a damn bad reaction. Scientists prevented us from carrying enough explosives to blow up the Reactor, both in terms of weight and cost," explained Biggs. Barret nodded as Biggs went back to opening the gate.

"What he's trying to say is that we couldn't afford enough explosives to blow up this whole Reactor directly, and it would take about two trucks to carry it in. But we've got one of the nastiest and most dangerous bombs ever known, just waiting for us. The bomb is gonna blow the main core of the Reactor. After that, the whole thing will explode," explained Barret.

"And it was all my idea, being the demolitions expert behind this group. Code deciphered," informed Biggs, as he snipped the correct wire, and finally, the gate opened.

Cloud, Barret, Jessie and Biggs walked through the gate, and then they went to the next area with another locked gate that they had to open to get to the Mako Reactor. Jessie was trying to figure out how to get the gate to open this time, with some extra codes for it. Cloud sighed and muttered something under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Barret, sharply.

"He said something about fire," informed Jessie, as she had just barely overheard what Cloud was saying, and then she turned away and carried on trying to figure out how to get the gate open. Barret stared at Cloud with a suspicious expression on his face.

"If you know something about bombs that we don't, and that we're in danger, then just tell us about it. It's your life that's at stake too, ya know," said Barret, sharply.

"I was just saying that I think you're making way too big a deal out of this whole Mako thing. The people who first figured out how fire worked probably felt the same way that you do now about Mako," said Cloud, coldly.

"Yeah, they would have. If the only way to make fire had been to use human bones as fuel. Because that's what Mako Reactors do, Cloud. They burn the future and scorn the past, all for a brighter present that's just turned out to be dark anyway," replied Barret.

"Whatever. Just give me my money when we get out of here, and you can go save the world as much as you want for all I care. Biggs, how close are the pipes to the Reactor's surface?" asked Cloud.

"About three meters, I'd say. Don't worry about it, I'm a professional when it comes to this sort of thing, and I've already studied the plans. The plans are perfect and foolproof," said Biggs, coolly.

Jessie blushed and smiled at that, while she was working at the same time. Cloud guessed that she was the one who had hacked into the Shinra computer systems to get those fully detailed plans of the Reactors. But Cloud had another concern on his mind.

"And you're going to try and do this mission with a bomb that small, with a huge, instant explosion?" asked Cloud, suspiciously. Biggs nodded confidently.

"Sure, this is the latest in explosives, more powerful than many other bombs. It'll get the job done easily," explained Biggs, calmly. But by then Barret had also realised what Cloud was concerned about, and he also turned to face Biggs, looking sharply at him.

"You are aware that Shinra made special detectors in this place to sense if anyone uses unauthorized bombs, ain't ya? At least I hope that you are," said Barret, sharply. Realising his mistake, Biggs flinched slightly and got a bit nervous.

"Hey, I'm just the demolitions guy around here, okay? All the technical stuff that goes on in this group is Jessie's job, you know," replied Biggs. Jessie stopped working for a moment, and turned to face Biggs, looking angry.

"Don't you dare try to blame this one on me! The security detectors were right on the Reactor plans that you studied, you know! Or weren't you studying the plan closely enough!?" snapped Jessie, sharply, causing Biggs to flinch slightly. Barret made frantic gestures to quieten them down.

"Hey, keep ya voices down, people. We'll just do a simple change of plan, that's all. Biggs, skip the remote detonation, just forget all about that. Once the security alarms go off, Shinra will do a signal around the whole facility. It's supposed to interfere with communications of intruders, and to keep them from setting off bombs by remote. We'll set a timer, instead. Shinra don't have any detectors for that. Jessie, assume that all the security doors between here and the exit are closed, and that ya need to decode all of the locks again. About how much time would we need?" asked Barret.

"Ten minutes," replied Jessie, as she went back to trying to get the gate open. Barret nodded in response, thinking hard, before he turned to face Cloud.

"Cloud, you must know Shinra's forces better than any of us, right? How much extra time do we need to fight our way through whatever they send out once the security alarms go off?" asked Barret.

"About two minutes," replied Cloud, shrugging.

"We practiced out the escape route back from the core, it takes eight minutes to get through. Biggs, set the timer at once. I don't want to give Shinra any chance to disarm the bomb. The timer will start about ten minutes at most after being activated," said Barret.

Biggs nodded, and took out a timer for the bomb, and programmed its settings. Cloud raised an eyebrow, looking rather sceptical at this plan.

"Only ten minutes? That's cutting it too close," warned Cloud, darkly. Jessie nodded in agreement, as she snipped the main wire to open the gate.

"Yeah, I know. Code deciphered, we can get going now guys," informed Jessie, and the gate opened.

Cloud, Barret and Jessie walked through it, while Biggs stayed behind to guard the gates and made sure that no enemy would make it past him to the inside of the Mako Reactor, as they had agreed and planned out.

        "Just think of how many of our people gave and sacrificed their own lives, just for these codes…" said Biggs, thoughtfully, in wonder and awe.

        "Uh, Biggs…nobody gave their lives for these codes. I just hacked into the Shinra Internet to get these," said Jessie, looking rather confused. Biggs looked sheepish.

        "Oh…right. Well anyway, you guys go on ahead. I'll stay here and make sure that this section of the escape route is clear," said Biggs. Jessie and Barret both nodded in response, while Cloud simply looked impatient.

Cloud, Barret and Jessie continued along the passage and walked through a door into an elevator leading straight inside the Mako Reactor itself, while Biggs secured the gates, making sure no one enemy got in or got out.

Cloud, Barret and Jessie stood in the elevator, having just walked through the elevator door. They were planning to use this to go to the lowest floor that the elevator could go, which was where the nearest floor to the main core of Mako Reactor N0.1 was, where they could blow the whole thing up, if the planted and detonated the bomb there.

"Cloud, could you please push that button over there?" asked Jessie, pointing to a flashing yellow button to the right of the elevator.

Cloud nodded, pushed the yellow button, and the elevator began its descent down to the bottom floor of Mako Reactor N0.1, bringing them even closer towards the main core.

        "This is going to be fun," muttered Cloud, sarcastically, wanting the mission to end as quickly as possible.

"You insane!? This is a mission, it ain't supposed to be fun!" said Barret, missing the sarcasm.

"I like to blow up stuff," said Cloud, shrugging, not even bothering to correct Barret, who looked furious.

"Don't ya understand anything!? You ain't just blowing stuff up, you're saving the world!" shouted Barret.

"So?" said Cloud, coldly, raising an eyebrow, not caring in the least about fighting to save the Planet.

"So!? So you are helping the world!!" roared Barret, loudly, trying to get that thought into the Ex-SOLDIER'S head, but Cloud didn't give this much regard.

"But I still have to blow up stuff anyway, right?" said Cloud, coolly, watching with satisfaction as he saw that Barret was clearly enraged by his attitude, but Barret then spoke up again, but in a tone of forced calm.

"Little by little, with enough time and after some years, all the Mako Reactors will each eventually drain up all of the Planet's very life energy, and that will be the end of all of that," said Barret, darkly.

        "So? Should I care? Too bad, but I'm not interested. It's not my problem," said Cloud, indifferently, shrugging. This took both Barret and Jessie aback, not believing what he had just said, about caring so little for the Planet's survival.

        "Just what the damn hell are ya talking about, ya thick dumb ass!? The whole entire Planet itself is DYING for God's sake, Cloud!!" yelled Barret, looking at Cloud with disbelief, not believing that anyone could be so cold and uncaring, and he especially couldn't believe that Tifa was friends with such a selfish guy.

After all, if Cloud didn't care about the Planet, how could he care about anything else, especially Tifa's friendship? Barret cared for the young woman very much and so did Barret's daughter, Marlene.

Tifa had been with AVALANCHE since the very beginning, and her bar at Sector 7 even houses their small Headquarters beneath the building. Cloud snapped out at Barret, driving him out of his thoughts.

"Let it die then! Just what is it that you want from me, Barret? To join your stupid little rebellion? I couldn't care less about the Planet, or about you people for that matter! The only reason I'm here is for my payment. I don't care about the Planet, I don't give a damn about it. The only thing I care about is finishing this job before security or the robo-guards come. I'm just thinking about how to get this whole mission over with as quickly and safely as possible. I don't care about anything else. And I'm only here for my money in the end, that's all," replied Cloud, sharply.

Barret was shaking in complete murderous rage and fury, and he shook his one remaining fist at Cloud, but he said nothing, and was barely restraining himself from punching Cloud hard in the face.

"(Why the hell did we have to hire this jerk anyway? It's bad enough that he's an Ex-SOLDIER, but he's a complete and utter bastard as well. Whatever Tifa sees in this guy, I'll never know, and I'll never understand why she persuaded us to have anything to do with him in the first place,)" thought Barret, angrily, to himself.

"Barret, do you have a problem?" asked Cloud, noticing Barret's clearly furious and enraged mood, though not realising the reason for it. Barret tried to calm himself down as he replied without speaking his previous thoughts.

"I just…I just dunno, man. I've just got this damn bad feeling…like something terrible is gonna happen," replied Barret, and he did indeed feel uneasy as though he suspected that something in this mission was going to go very badly wrong indeed. Cloud snorted scornfully, still looking indifferent and uncaring about it.

"Just try to ignore those feelings. I remember I would get them all the time during missions when I was in SOLDIER. You just have to learn the difference between instinct and suspicion," said Cloud, calmly.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's just get this whole thing over and done with already," said Barret, still angry and frustrated with the Ex-SOLDIER.

If the elevator hadn't have stopped right there, and if Cloud hadn't jumped off at the very last second, Barret was so angry and enraged that he might have just punched Cloud right there and whacked him hard and senseless for his selfish and uncaring attitude.

The elevator stopped, and the door opened. Cloud, Barret and Jessie walked out of the elevator and entered a big room with stairs leading down to the bottom floor.

They quickly ran down the stairs, and then opened a door at the bottom of the stairs, each of them going through it afterwards. They walked past the door, and were now walking on a catwalk in the Mako Reactor, many, many feet above the ground below. 

They jumped over a hole in the middle of the passage, continued along the path towards the main Reactor core, and they climbed down a small ladder to another catwalk that went even further towards it.

********************************************************************************************************

Outside, still at the Reactor bridge in front of the exit, still guarding it, Wedge crouched in the shadows of the tunnel exit, carefully watching the Reactor bridge and the tunnel at the other end through the scope of his sniper rifle, in case any enemies appeared to disrupt their means of escape, or in case the others came back.

Wedge knew that he wasn't cut out for killing, but now that the time had come where he might have to chose between fighting or dying, he felt like he might be able to kill a man. His hands nevertheless trembled, as he searched the magnified world with a single eye.

As he swept back toward the paths after the gate that they had come through to get here on the bridge, he caught sight of something. It was nothing more than a fuzzy blur when he'd moved past it, but he pulled the scope back to the left quickly, trying to find it again.

On one more pass, he caught it for an instant, and it had grown in size, which only could have meant that it was coming closer. Swallowing his anxiety, he pulled back the focus of the scope by twisting a knob at the end of it, and his view of the world of it expanded. 

There, about thirty yards ahead, along the rail, a floating red orb with drooping metal tendrils bobbed slowly toward him. It was a Mono Drive, a small Shinra robot that was designed chiefly for security; it had internal sensors that could distinguish intruder from authorized personnel, and it could sound an alarm if it needed to.

Wedge knew all of that, but despite that, he did not know if it was deadly by itself, and he did not give himself the chance to find out either. He quickly pulled out a silencer pistol from his belt. Wedge snapped the silencer onto the end of the barrel, and raised the rifle.

The Mono Drive was ten yards down and closing steadily. It did not sense him yet, and for that he was lucky, and no alarms went off at all as a result. His shot was even luckier, however, as he fired the gun.

The Mono Drive's orb shattered at once, and the enemy android was knocked out right over the railing of the Reactor bridge by the sheer force of the bullet that drove and slammed right into its side.

The broken android plummeted to the city below, trailing a black, curving line of smoke behind it, before it exploded silently in mid-air. Wedge stared after it in disbelief, hardly believing the mixture of luck and skill he had just shown.

"(Wow…maybe I'm better at this whole thing than I first thought. Still though…I hope nothing too nasty shows up here, as I doubt I'll be able to handle it alone. But I'm going to guard this exit anyway, we will succeed and escape…at least I hope the others are having just as much luck as I am,)" thought Wedge, as he stood still on the Reactor bridge before the exit that would lead to safety, keeping a watchful eye out, yet also wondering intensely about how well the others were doing inside the Reactor...

********************************************************************************************************

Barret and Jessie both looked down below the catwalk, and stepped backwards in shock. The big, sizzling, boiling pit of Mako at the bottom of the Reactor seemed to be a small circle from their view above.

"Holy shit! This damn thing is huge! Cloud, how deep does this thing go?" asked Barret, curiously, still amazed. Cloud also looked down at the pit, though without the same sort of surprise, as if he'd seen it before.

"The deepest Mako pits are roughly five miles deep, however we only need to travel half a mile in order to blow the place up," replied Cloud.

Cloud looked away from the deep Mako pit far below, and looked up in front of them. To his startled surprise, six Shinra soldiers were now on the catwalk, and running towards them, having spotted them.

"Heads up! Guards!" shouted Cloud, and readied his sword in a flash, as Barret and Jessie looked up to notice the Shinra soldiers coming towards them, about to attack.

Cloud quickly ran to the right and jumped down a stair set, where one of the Shinra soldiers was. Before the astonished and horrified soldier could react in time, Cloud swung his sword at him, and it slashed straight through the soldier's chest and his armour, killing him instantly, as blood flowed and flew from the fatal wound.

Barret ripped off the sleeve off his jacket, revealing his machine gun that Cloud had seen earlier, which was, of course, part of Barret's right arm. 

Diving to the left, Barret suddenly shot off many rounds without pause from his machine gun-arm at the remaining five soldiers that stood there. Three of them were hit and dropped to the floor, dead, in a mere few seconds, all of them covered with bloody bullet wounds.

Jessie was getting involved too, however, as she lunged and grabbed hold of one of the last guards before he could do anything to react, and she instantly stabbed him straight in the chest with her razor-sharp knife without much effort as the knife split through the soldier's chest with ease, and then she hurled him over the side of the catwalk.

She merely watched coldly as the Shinra soldier began his descent, screaming, to the far-below Mako pit below, leaving a long thick trail of blood behind him from where the wound flowed, until he was burned to death on impact with the pit, the corpse quickly melting on contact with it.

Cloud killed the last remaining guard with a well-aimed slash across the neck, easily slashing straight through the soldier's neck and helmet, and the head (with the helmet still on) flew from the shoulders at once in a shower of blood, and the head bounced off the side of the catwalk and fell, as the soldier's dead and decapitated body fell dead to the floor, and Cloud sheathed his sword before kicking the headless body off the catwalk in revulsion, not watching as it fell to the pit and was incinerated.

Quietly, Cloud, Barret and Jessie regrouped, and carried on along the catwalk. While they were walking, Barret turned to face Jessie, thinking hard.

"Jessie, you told us before that there would be patrols, but you made no mention of them being so prepared for us," said Barret, slowly.

"I know, Barret, and I was right to tell you that. After all, that is their usual pattern," replied Jessie, casually, not noticing Barret's serious and dark expression.

At that instant, without warning, Barret snarled angrily, swivelled around, and picked Cloud up forcefully by his throat, lifting him straight off his feet, and then Barret thrust his gun-arm right under Cloud's chin, snarling menacingly.

Jessie stopped in shock and looked on, clearly startled by this sudden occurrence, and Cloud also looked shocked, and for once, alarmed, as he struggled in Barret's grip, his feet hanging in mid-air.

"Alright SOLDIER boy, tell us what the hell's happening around here!" growled Barret, menacingly. Cloud spluttered in stunned surprise, quite taken aback, but he was soon burning with intense rage.

"How the hell should I know!? They were prepared, yeah, but how the heck would I know that!?" snapped Cloud, struggling to free himself from Barret's grasp, feeling enraged enough to cleave him in two with his sword.

"Because you're a goddamn Shinra spy!" roared Barret, angrily, still keeping a tight hold and glaring murderously at Cloud, whose face was contorted with anger and with rather indignant surprise.

"A spy!? Don't be crazy! It's because of these corporate bastards that I am fighting for you! They betrayed me, and I hate them as much as you do, if not more!" snapped Cloud, spitting directly at his face in rage. Barret snarled furiously, and threw him hard to the floor in a heap, wiping the spit off his face before he glared murderously at Cloud.

"I hope for your sake that ya telling the truth, because if you ain't, then I'll blow ya sorry brains out," threatened Barret, angrily, still aiming his gun-arm at Cloud. Getting to his feet, Cloud merely snarled angrily.

"Fine, go ahead and threaten my life. Do whatever the hell you want. Just stop wasting time. They were prepared, so we fought them, and we won, that's all. Now let's get going," said Cloud, coldly.

Cloud walked on across the catwalk, and Barret followed him, still fuming, lowering his gun-arm. Jessie, who had simply been staring at both of them in shock during their argument, now snapped out of her trance and followed them.

Things soon grew tougher for the group on their way to the main core of the Mako Reactor, as suddenly the large walkways were no longer on the path, and the only way down seemed to be through walking across thin pipes that supplied the valves with steam. Barret seemed most uncomfortable about this.

"You can't be serious. Is this the only way down? By crossing a few narrow pipes by foot? This is suicide, that's what it damn well is," said Barret, disbelievingly. Cloud raised an eyebrow, and snorted.

"Well we could always jump all the way down to the bottom, but then again, it's likely that we would die in the process, or we could just politely ask the Shinra soldiers around here to allow us to use their corporate elevator, so that we can go over to the main core safely to destroy their Mako Reactor," said Cloud, sarcastically. Jessie chuckled and smiled at him, while Barret snorted scornfully.

"Alright, alright, it was a stupid thing to say, but I just don't like the look of it," said Barret, uneasily.

        "And you think I do? Believe me, if there was an easier way to the main core, I'd gladly take it, but as it stands, this is our only way there without being caught," said Cloud.

Barret reluctantly agreed, and they continued on the path again. Jessie stopped and stood on a narrow catwalk just in front of Cloud and Barret.

"Just along here is the base of the Mako Reactor, the main core itself. That's where you can blow it all up. I'll wait here as a lookout, and stay here to cover your escape. It gets a lot more dangerous from here on, but it's not much further to the Reactor core now. Cloud, do you know how to get to the main core from here?" asked Jessie.

"Yeah, I have been inside a Mako Reactor before, like I said earlier," said Cloud, shrugging. Jessie nodded, walked over to the end of the catwalk, stopped there, and she looked around for any enemies, and secured the area.

Cloud and Barret walked past her, scurried down a long flight of stairs, then they crossed a platform, and then bounded down more stairs until they reached a twisting set of stairs and more ladders that ran down to a thick pipe. 

Across the large but narrow pipe was a thin ladder that led down from the pipes to a long catwalk. The narrow trail hung over a bubbling, steaming pit of raw Mako energy, almost as hot as molten lava. The smell from the stuff wafted up through the entire chamber and exited through the huge hole in the ceiling, filling the once-clean air with toxins of pure Mako energy, to soon to converted into electricity.

        At the end of the catwalk lay the Mako valve, the very core of the whole Mako Reactor N01 itself, which controlled the flow of Mako energy from the Planet to a degree…to be sucked up into this Mako Reactor.

This was AVALANCHE'S primary target, for their first mission, as they had carefully planned for months (without Cloud, who had signed up as a mercenary for this one mission only recently). Once this main valve was bombed and gone, the entire Mako Reactor would blow up along with it. The fact of it was that simple.

Cloud found and picked up a Restore Materia at the middle of the catwalk. Materia looks like a small, green crystal ball, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but it allows you to use certain kinds of magic. 

Cloud turned his attention back to the Mako Reactor, and walked up to the main value of the Reactor core itself. Barret did the same and stood beside the main valve of the core, looking solemnly but determinedly at it.

        "When this particular area blows up, with the main core of the Reactor here, this entire Mako Reactor will be nothing more than a hunk of ruins and junk. Cloud, you go ahead and set the bomb, since you're the hired mercenary dumb ass," ordered Barret, sharply.

"Shouldn't you do it?" asked Cloud, perplexed, raising an eyebrow. Barret glared hard at him, clearly both impatient and rather irritated.

        "Just do it! I'm keeping my eye on you! I'm gonna watch to make sure ya don't pull nothing!" growled Barret, glaring angrily and suspiciously at Cloud. 

Cloud snorted indifferently, not caring about Barret's petty suspicions. He owed allegiance to no one, not AVALANCHE, and not to Shinra Incorporated either.

        "Yeah, whatever. As if I would. I may be a mercenary, and an Ex-SOLDIER for Shinra, Barret, but I'm no traitor. But fine, be my guest. Just one question, though," said Cloud.

"What?" asked Barret, sharply, his tone still edged with clear suspicion. Cloud ignored this, and instead asked about something that he had been wondering about since the mission had begun.

"This Reactor bombing is supposed to help save the Planet, right? But what about all the innocent people and civilians working and living around here? They all live close to this Reactor. If you blow this Reactor up, they'll all going to get killed in the explosion," said Cloud, wondering if Barret had taken this into account.

"You should always expect a few casualties in this war," replied Barret, flatly, much to Cloud's surprise, and slight anger flared inside him despite himself.

Barret's words sounded so heartless, and that sort of approach truly made him and his group no better than the great Shinra conglomerate that they so righteously opposed, though he knew Barret would never accept the fact.

"And what war is that…?" asked Cloud, thoroughly bewildered, now finding himself questioning Barret's sanity as well as his methods to the whole situation. Barret looked absolutely enraged, and it seemed to demand his full self to keep him from hitting Cloud.

"Wake up, ya stupid damn fool! The war to save the Planet from Shinra!" snapped Barret, angrily, clearly getting furious and impatient now.

"Then why didn't you at least just bomb this Mako Reactor when everyone's asleep, and spare them the pain of it?" asked Cloud, incredulously.

"Got a problem with this?" snarled Barret, sharply and angrily, raising his only fist threateningly. Unconcerned and not in the least bit threatened, Cloud looked back at Barret coldly, and answered calmly.

"Listen, I agree with your motives about opposing Shinra, but I'm just not too sure that you're using the right methods about this whole thing," said Cloud. Barret snarled furiously at him, thoroughly impatient and frustrated.

"Just shut the hell up, SOLDIER boy, and just set the damn bomb! You're just the hired help, it ain't up to you to question your orders! Just do your damned job, and then get your payment for it!" snapped Barret, waving his fist angrily at Cloud, who looked at him scornfully.

"Alright fine, have it your way then. Sorry I even bothered," muttered Cloud, flatly, thoroughly annoyed, but knew he had to keep quiet from now on if he wanted his full payment for this mission.

But suddenly, at that moment, something very strange came over Cloud. His vision went completely red, a loud beeping noise was screeching in his head, giving him a pounding headache, causing him to fall to his knees, clutching his head in agony, screaming in pain, and then suddenly a voice that he had never heard before in his life spoke to him from what seemed to be coming from directly inside his head.

"Wait! Wake up! Watch out! This isn't just a Mako Reactor!" warned the strange voice, though it's tone of voice sounded completely devoid of emotion whatsoever, which chilled Cloud to the bone despite himself, and it was therefore hard to recognize it at all, or what it could mean.

Then all of a sudden, the beeping abruptly stopped, the headache vanished, and his vision returned to normal. In fact, everything was normal, as if nothing had just happened. Even the pain was gone, as quickly as it had came, along with everything else.

Cloud slowly got back up to his feet, extremely bewildered and confused. What the hell had just happened there…? And why…? Barret's loud, impatient voice soon brought him out of his thoughts.

        "What's wrong, Cloud? I thought ya were having a seizure or something, but then I just remembered, dumb asses don't know how to die, right?" said Barret, sarcastically.

        "Huh…? No…I'm fine. What the hell…just happened?" asked Cloud, dazed and still very confused. Barret snarled angrily at him, clearly very impatient and frustrated.

"You just collapsed for no goddamn reason, that's what happened! What's the heck's wrong, Cloud!? What the hell are ya doing!? Just set the damn bomb! It ain't gonna set itself, you know! Hurry it up!" snapped Barret, sharply, impatient to get the mission over and done with.

"Yeah…sorry," said Cloud, quickly regaining his senses, though he couldn't help but still think about it. How it happened and what the message might mean…

"(What did just happen back there…? No…I can't dwell on it now, I've just got to concentrate on the mission, that's all that matters right now. It's probably nothing important anyway,") thought Cloud, indifferently.

Cloud snatched the bomb away from Barret irritably without looking at him, placed it in the middle of the Reactor's main core, and then he set the bomb to blow at ten minutes time, although it would take a while for the bomb to operate and begin its countdown, giving them enough time to escape before the Mako Reactor N01 blew up.

        "Okay, it's all taken care of. The bomb's all set. Let's get going right now, before it starts," said Cloud, urgently. Barret nodded in agreement, and they both began to walk away from the main core of the Mako Reactor.

Suddenly, without warning, an alarm sounded, and it was heard from all around the Reactor, and had set off all of the other alarms too. This meant that the whole Reactor's security had just been triggered and alerted to their presence, and this meant huge trouble was in store for the two of them.

Barret halted and spun around in surprise and alarm, while Cloud also was also suddenly alert, and cursed under his breath in sheer frustration.

"Damn it, none of those security alarms should have gone off at all. Something's very wrong here," said Cloud, darkly, wondering what part of the plan had been done wrong, and dreading to think what the full extent of the security could be now that it had all been alerted.

        "Heads up, here they come! Watch out!" shouted Barret, as he sprang forwards and raised his gun-arm threateningly before him at any enemy that threatened to show up, and no doubt would at any moment.

        "Damn it, I was hoping we wouldn't have to deal with any of this," muttered Cloud, and readied his sword at once, preparing for a sudden enemy attack that was no doubt heading their way, straight at them.

        "Yeah well, we are anyways, so keep your head straight and let's take care of this thing!" shouted Barret, as security alarms still sounded loudly around the whole area. 

A large shape seemed to be coming out of the shadows, a loud clanking sound heard every time it came closer, and soon it emerged from the shadows to show itself to them, as Cloud and Barret stared at it with some surprise.

Something had come to attack them, but it wasn't a soldier, a guard or any kind of human at all. It was a huge scorpion-like red robot with four robotic legs, two robotic gun-arms and a robotic scorpion-like tail.

It had a pitch-black robotic face with two fully green eyes and it stood on all four of its robotic legs. It was obviously programmed by Shinra to destroy any rebels near the Mako Reactor's main core.

Cloud and Barret, of course, had no choice but to attack it, and they would if they had to. They had their weapons and in this world, people could use magic after they collect Materia. People could use magic as an attack against enemies and to defend themselves, but not everyone can use Magic. 

It was common knowledge to anyone on this Planet that everyone had to have a certain kind of Materia in order to be able to use a certain kind of Magic (like having a Lightning Materia to use Bolt Magic). The large, red, scorpion-shaped robot began to advance down on Cloud and Barret, who both stared back at it.

"Geez, just what the hell is this damn thing anyway, and just what the hell does it do?" demanded Barret, glancing at Cloud sharply.

"Shinra call it the Guard Scorpion. It's the robo-guard of this Mako Reactor. Each Reactor has one, and they guard the main core of the place. It's the strongest opponent inside the Reactor, so they store it at its most important place. Shinra aren't exactly meant to make this easy for guys like us, after all," explained Cloud, coldly.

"Don't ya think I've figured that out by now, ya damn idiot!? Acting so goddamn big just 'cause you were with Shinra!" snapped Barret, angrily. Cloud glared at him icily, as the Guard Scorpion quickly spotted them with its sensors, and began to move towards them.

"I was answering your question, that was all. And don't start with your retarded suspicious now. In case you've forgotten, we've got to take care of this thing, and get out of here," said Cloud, sharply.

Barret bit back the maddening urge to retort back at him, and the two of them instead faced the Guard Scorpion, which slowly advanced down on them both, and it came to a halt right in front of the two warriors, who stood ready and waiting for an opening to attack, or at when to avoid one from the deadly fifteen-foot machine.

The Guard Scorpion used its search scope from its robotic eyes, and the scope locked onto Barret and confirmed him as the Guard Scorpion's target. Barret quickly realised that this meant that the next time the Guard Scorpion fired its rifle guns; it would not miss its target. And he was the target.

So Barret suddenly attacked and fired many bullets from his gun-arm, straight at the Guard Scorpion and the bullets successfully hit it, but the bullets seemed to be doing no more than bouncing off the Guard Scorpion's tough armour. Barret cursed under his breath, as he and Cloud were both forced to dodge out of the way of the rebounded bullets.

As if getting an idea from this, the Guard Scorpion opened fire with its huge guns rifles, and aimed them at Barret who stood in its line of fire. Excepting the attack before it had begun, Cloud acted quickly and hurled away a surprised Barret by the collar of his jacket just in time as bullets slammed into the floor of the bridge, leaving holes in it merely inches away from where they were now sprawled down on the bridge. Barret shoved Cloud away from him without so much as a thanks and stood back up, while Cloud, grumbling in irritation, did the same.

"SHIT!! This thing's bloody tough! We gotta find some way to punch a hole through its damn armour, so I can put the hurting on it!" shouted Barret, who was irritated with himself for not being able to react quickly enough to avoid the Guard Scorpion's attack earlier, and he had to admit grudgingly to himself that if it wasn't for Cloud, he would have been killed for sure, and that angered him even more.

"Just leave that to me, I've already got a plan to sort this thing out," replied Cloud, determined, as he glanced down at his large sword where two Materia were slotted into the side of it, one in each slot.

One of the two shining green Materia attached to a slot in Cloud's sword flared to life. Cloud hated the way it made the sword shake in its hilt. Swinging the sword in front of him, Cloud reached for the glowing Materia for the fires that burned within and grasping onto it tightly. 

He swung his sword back into his magnetic locks and thrust his fists forward. Shimmering green light burst from the ground beneath his feet, an odd effect of summoning Magic from Materia, but one that always happened none the less, one that not even Shinra's brightest scientists couldn't really explain, it just happened, and the person using it would just have to accept it.

A bolt of lightning suddenly appeared out of nowhere from above them, summoned forth by the Materia as Cloud had intended, and it directly struck the Guard Scorpion hard, causing a noticeable hole in its armour as a result, and damaging its circuitry, weakening it badly. Lightning attacks were clearly the Guard Scorpion's weakness.

The Guard Scorpion seemed to be temporally paralysed by the lighting bolt, and seemed quite damaged. Barret's eyes widened in shocked surprise, and he had simply gaped as he had watched Cloud perform a lightning attack from his Materia, but now he focused his attention back to the battle.

"What in the heck was that?" gasped Barret, staring at Cloud in stunned amazement. Cloud looked back at him coolly, a little surprised and scornful towards the fact that Barret seemed to know nothing whatsoever about Materia.

"A Bolt spell. As long as you have the right Materia for it, you can summon the spell with the Materia to use it in battle at any time you choose, unless your mind is too exhausted to go through summoning up another spell after the last one. If physical attacks from guns, swords or other weapons don't work against any enemies like this, then Materia can be especially effective against them. What you've just seen is one of the more basic spells," explained Cloud.

"So…this Materia stuff is what makes all them guys at SOLDIER so powerful, huh? That sure is some handy stuff you got there. But let me show ya how we do things in AVALANCHE," said Barret, as he raised his gun-arm and carefully aimed it towards the hole in the armour that the bolt of lightning had caused.

Suddenly, snapping out of its paralysed state as if it was merely faking it, the Guard Scorpion quickly lifted its scorpion tail at once, swinging it at Barret without warning, catching him off guard again.

Barret saw it at the last moment and leapt back to avoid it, but the sharp edge of the tail sliced through the side of his face slightly before he could fully avoid it. The tail swept past and sliced into the bridge, leaving a long small hole through it, before its tail retreated behind the robot again.

Barret yelled out in pain immediately after the attack, and it felt as though the side of his face was on fire, as he stumbled backwards to the floor from the impact. He stubbornly got back up at once though, and checked the side of his face where pain flared from it, and found that there was a bloody scratch across his cheek, causing some blood to go down the side of his face, as he felt it trail down it.

Barret snarled angrily, filled with deep and murderous rage towards the Shinra-made creation, and without thinking or taking aim, he fired even more bullets at the Guard Scorpion from his gun-arm, but once again, the bullets just bounced off it with no effect. 

Cloud gasped in sudden pain as one of the rebounded bullets grazed his shoulder before he could avoid it, and he fell to the bridge floor, blood starting to trail down his wounded shoulder and down his arm, as he stood back up with an effort and a flare of pain, holding his arm, and he glanced at Barret, whose face was still bleeding down the side of it.

"I hope you've got a backup plan," said Cloud, flatly, raising an eyebrow, trying not to wince as pain travelled down his shoulder to his arm. Barret just snarled furiously at him, but Cloud took no notice, and sprang into action, ignoring the pain that flared because of it.

Acting quickly, Cloud once again reached deep inside the Materia for the fires that burned within. Grasping onto them tightly, he swung his sword back into his magnetic locks and with great effort and pain this time; he thrust both his fists forward. Shimmering green light burst from the ground beneath his feet once again.

Another bolt of lighting appeared from right above the Guard Scorpion, and then struck it directly and hard, causing another noticeable hole in its armour beside the first one, and damaging its circuitry, weakening it quite badly indeed.

The Guard Scorpion used its search scope from its robotic eyes once again, and the scope locked onto Barret once again and confirmed him as the next target, and of course, would not miss in its next shot.

Aiming carefully this time, Barret quickly fired his bullets into the hole of the Guard Scorpion that the bolt of lightning had made earlier. Every bullet Barret fired managed to go inside the hole and shot the robotic insides of the Guard Scorpion, further weakening and damaging its circuitry.

Green light burst from the ground beneath Cloud's feet as another bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere and struck the Guard Scorpion hard, causing another big hole in its armour and destroying more of its circuitry.

Clearly weakened, the Guard Scorpion suddenly swung its scorpion tail quickly at Barret. But this time, Barret was prepared for it, leaping to the side and quickly rolled out of the way along the bridge floor, as the tail shot narrowly past him and just missed, scratching another small, long hole into the bridge before withdrawing behind the machine.

Springing back up to his feet in an instant after avoiding the tail, Barret quickly lowered his gun-arm and fired more of his bullets at the Guard Scorpion into the hole within its armour, piercing and denting even more of its armour with his bullets, but the tough armour of the Guard Scorpion protected itself for the most part.

Green light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet once again as another bolt of lighting appeared from above and struck the Guard Scorpion hard, causing another big hole in its armour and destroying more of its circuitry.

The Guard Scorpion stopped for a bit and twitched violently several times, as if badly damaged, and then it managed to get moving again. It suddenly raised its scorpion tail in front of it in attacking position in a last desperate attempt to annihilate the two warriors who were gaining the upper hand on it. Cloud knew exactly what it was going to do.

"Barret, be very careful. Don't attack it at all while its tail is still up. It will counter-attack with its tail laser if there's any sign of attack against it," warned Cloud, his shoulder still hurt.

"For a dumb ass show off, ya sure know a lot about this damn thing," said Barret, sourly, glaring at him sharply and suspiciously. Cloud looked exasperated.

"That's because I was in SOLDIER, remember? So I know all about robo-guards and the security resistance expected at the Reactors. Just don't attack it, alright?" said Cloud.

"No one tells me what to do, especially not anyone who was with Shinra!" snarled Barret, angrily, the side of his face still clearly bleeding, much to his fury.

Barret suddenly fired even more of his bullets at the Guard Scorpion in a rage, but the Guard Scorpion shielded itself with its tail, so the bullets just bounced off the tail, and did not even effect it in the least.

The tip of the Guard's Scorpion's whole tail suddenly began to glow a bright blue colour and pulse with sudden energy, as Cloud's belief was soon confirmed, as the whole tail quickly glowed more brightly than ever, more and more energy being charged through it, and the Guard Scorpion suddenly fired its deadly tail laser.

Two large blue lasers fired right from its tail, one heading straight for Cloud, and the other heading straight for Barret. At once, both of them leaped backwards to avoid the impact of the deadly lasers, but couldn't escape it entirely, as the lasers struck the bridge floor only a few feet from them, where they had been previously standing. 

The part of the bridge the lasers had hit exploded at once, blasting Cloud and Barret off their feet and sending them both flying off the catwalk in a trail of thick smoke, both of them burned and injured from the mere force of the explosion that the lasers caused. The whole middle part of the bridge was gone, only the edges of it remained, and there was a gigantic hole in the middle of the bridge left by the lasers.

Both Cloud and Barret managed to grab the edge (which had luckily stayed intact) of the ruined bridge just in time, both their bodies smoking, arching badly and burned by the force of the explosion, and they both looked down below them, horrified and alarmed by their situation.

About fifty feet below them was the huge pool of boiling Mako energy. It was about as hot as molten lava, and Cloud and Barret both now hung above it, badly injured from the lasers, a small trail of smoke coming from their bodies.

Both of them were holding tightly onto the bridge for their very lives, with only one hand, as the Guard Scorpion stood towering above them on the end of the bridge before the core, just before the huge hole in the middle, ready to send them to their deaths at any moment's notice.

As his shoulder still bled and blazed with pain, as burns ached across his body, Cloud suddenly felt a great surge of deep anger and murderous rage. This was all Barret's fault. If only he had listened to him, the stupid, arrogant fool! 

His anger turned to hatred, and his hatred turned to rage. He suddenly leaped straight back onto the bridge just in front of the hole, and stood defiantly before the Guard Scorpion, much to both Barret, and the gigantic robot's surprise.

Letting his rage overcome him, Cloud raised his sword, and charged straight towards the Guard Scorpion at once, as he leaped high into the air before the huge robot could even react, and he swung his sword straight at the Guard Scorpion's tail, slicing the whole tail off in an instant. 

The tail fell off the Guard Scorpion and exploding right beside it, which caused quite a big hole in the Guard Scorpion's side, as Cloud landed back onto the bridge, without stumbling despite his shoulder and his burns.

Now that Cloud had destroyed the Guard Scorpion's tail and badly damaged the whole thing, there was nothing much to worry about the Guard Scorpion now other than its rifle guns, even though both Cloud and Barret were clearly injured, burnt and bleeding.

Barret still managed to slowly climb his way back onto the bridge just before the hole, and stood before the Guard Scorpion, snarling in enraged anger and murderous rage that quickly consumed him like with Cloud earlier.

"Eat this, ya damn sorry excuse for a blender! Because I'm the Big Shot around here!!" roared Barret, as he quickly set his gun to charge up its energy rapidly.

Although injured, bleeding, and slightly struggling to stand up because of his burned laser wounds, Barret quickly raised his gun-arm as he charged up his gun for a moment, and then suddenly fired a big, orange ball of energy from it, heading straight for the Guard Scorpion.

The orange ball of energy hit the Guard Scorpion straight in the middle part of it, and exploded, reducing the Guard Scorpion's gun-arms, robotic eyes and legs to pieces, instantly taking all of its weapons out and meaning that the Guard Scorpion could no longer attack.

The attack also left a big hole in the middle and the sides of the Guard Scorpion, and caused some of its main circuitry to fall out of it, having been reduced to scrap metal. The Guard Scorpion twisted and twitched around a lot as if it was short-circuiting, and as if it was about to explode. 

Indeed, it now looked no more than an unstable heap of scrap metal, but it was still barely able to move all the same, and it could therefore still be a problem. Cloud raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Barret, can you do that again?" asked Cloud, curiously, finding that he was somewhat impressed now by Barret's fighting techniques, despite himself, in the same way that he had impressed Barret.

"Man, just how many of those do ya think I can do? That was the big one," replied Barret, looking worn out and panting for breath from the effort of his attack.

"I was afraid of that," said Cloud, with a weary sigh.

The Guard Scorpion, although very badly damaged, barely managed to use its search scope on Cloud, and locked onto him as the target, but this was now useless as the Guard Scorpion's guns had all been destroyed by Barret's attack.

The search scope suddenly snapped right off the Guard Scorpion and smashed onto the ground, breaking to pieces. The Guard Scorpion twisted and jerked around a bit more as if it was just about to explode.

Having lost its robotic legs, arms, tail and eyes, the Guard Scorpion was in an extremely bad state, as it fell to the ground, not quite destroyed but ready to explode.

"(Time to finish this thing off. We've lost too much time fighting it already, we have got to get out of here right now,)" thought Cloud, grimly, with a sense of severe urgency.

Green light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet, as a final bolt of lighting appeared from the sky and struck the Guard Scorpion in its big holes, and completely destroying the insides of the ruined machine.

This caused the Guard Scorpion to suddenly explode from the inside, blowing the whole thing to pieces in seconds, and therefore destroying it, reducing it to nothing more than a few nuts and bolts, and other bits of metal, most of the parts falling over the edge of the ruined bridge and eventually melted in the boiling hot Mako pit far below.

Luckily, miraculously even, neither the explosion nor the battle earlier had set off the bomb at all, which was still placed firmly to the middle of the Reactor core. 

Barret reached into his pocket in his jacket, and took out a Potion, drinking it down in one long gulp, fully healing the side of his face as blood abruptly stopping trailing down it and then disappeared, and his burned laser wounds were also healed instantly. He then tossed another Potion to Cloud, who caught and drank it, and the Potion fully healed his wounded shoulder, stopping its bleeding abruptly and making the blood vanish, and his burned laser wounds were also healed instantly.

Barret stood up straight on his feet, and walked over to one of the Guard Scorpion rifles that he had blown off it earlier in the battle with his gun's charged attack. He found an Assault Gun on the ground, picked it up, threw away his old Gatling Gun and attached the Assault Gun onto the Slump of his wrist in place of where the old gun had been, fitting it tightly to his arm in no time, so that it was firmly in place. Cloud watched him, surprised and mesmerized by the action.

"Now that's cool. Detachable guns," said Cloud, clearly astonished. Barret nodded and actually grinned for once, having quickly finished attaching and slotting his new gun-arm firmly into place.

"Yeah, this was the surgeons first try at making adaptable weapons to people's lost limbs, and it sure seems to have paid off big time!" declared Barret, proudly.

The bomb, still firmly placed on the Mako Reactor core, had suddenly started its countdown of ten minutes, but neither Cloud nor Barret had noticed this yet.

        "Ha! Well, we ain't gonna have too much trouble from that thing anymore. Cloud, how much longer we got on that bomb now anyway?" asked Barret.

        "Well, I set it for a nice long time, so I'd say the countdown will start…right about now! Come on, let's get out of here!" shouted Cloud, urgently.

"Shit! It's gonna blow! Run for it! This place is gonna blow in ten minutes! Let's get the hell out of here!" yelled Barret, clearly very alarmed.

"Ten minutes?! It took us about twice that long just to get here! Damn it!!" shouted Cloud, suddenly feeling scared for his life for the first time on the mission.

After carefully travelling across the bridge on only its edges, with the rest of the bridge destroyed with the large hole in the middle of it, Cloud and Barret quickly ran back the way they had came, as fast as they could, and faster than they had ever ran before, with a clear sense of urgency and desperation about them. They ran to the other end of the bridge and quickly climbed the ladder to the big pipe.

"We'd better hurry, there's only nine minutes left. Oh shit!" cursed Barret, as a group of seven Shinra soldiers suddenly blocked their path.

"Do not even attempt to move, terrorist scum, for you are both under arrest," said one soldier, aiming a shotgun at them, ready to pull the trigger.

Cloud snarled, reaching for another Materia attached to his sword, green light bursting from the ground beneath his feet as soon as he grasped it tightly, and the Materia glowed bright green at once, summoning forth its spell. 

The other Materia was a Lightning Materia that summoned up forth bolts of lightning, but this one was an Ice Materia, summoning up long, cold and sharp icicles instead.

Before any of the Shinra soldiers could even react, several razor-sharp, freezing cold icicles appeared out of nowhere and struck each of the soldiers straight through the chest, killing each of them instantly, and sending their impaled, lifeless bodies off the pipe to the boiling Mako pit far below in deep, thick trails of blood. Barret stared in amazement, impressed.

"That Materia stuff sure comes in handy, alright! Now let's get a damn move on!" yelled Barret, urgently. Cloud nodded, and they both continued to run across the pipe, though they were still cautious not to fall off the edge of it.

They then ran to the end of the pipe, and quickly climbed up another ladder to a small path. They saw that Jessie was still there at the end of the path, but at least five Shinra soldiers were attacking her. 

Jessie quickly got out her shotgun and killed most of the Shinra soldiers in one shot through the head before they could aim and fire their guns at her, their bloody corpses falling to the floor. Then there was only one Shinra soldier still left.

Jessie ran towards the Shinra soldier, quickly knocked his helmet off, and then in a flash, kicked and punched him hard in the face, as his face bled from the hits, then she picked him up by the collar of his uniform, and she tossed him off the path. He fell screaming into the boiling hot Mako pool below, and was burned alive and killed instantly.

But when she had tossed the Shinra soldier to his death, Jessie had accidentally stepped back into one of the potholes in the catwalk, and her foot was stuck in it.

Jessie struggled to free himself, but she couldn't budge, while the alarms were beeping louder than ever, and messages of caution flashed on sides across the Reactor. 

The clock was ticking, and it was ticking dangerously fast.

Cloud and Barret very quickly made their way over to Jessie. Noticing them, she looked up at Cloud and Barret, while struggling to free herself.

"Looks like you sure weren't bored while we was gone," said Barret, amused, raising an eyebrow. Jessie glanced sharply at him, and she seemed rather annoyed.

"Let's just say I had a little unwanted company. Now, do you think you guys can stop chattering away, and help me get my foot unstuck, so that we can all get out of here right now?" asked Jessie, sharply.

"Are you okay?" asked Cloud, concerned. Jessie looked at him in clear surprise, her irritation gone as she noticed that Cloud had actually showed a sign of concern towards her, but she still hastened to reply.

"My foot just got stuck, that's all. I wondered why you guys were taking so long down there, until I saw this huge red scorpion-like robot in the distance, where you both were. I had thought about going down there to help you guys, but I'm relieved I didn't have to after all. Anyway, you need to help me in order for all of us to get out of here. Or we won't be able to get through those coded doors," explained Jessie.

"Alright, then I'll help you," said Cloud, with a reassuring nod, and Jessie smiled brightly, gazing happily at him as he bent down to help her, rather pleased to see a sign of concern from him, despite the current desperate situation they were in.

Cloud saw that Jessie's foot was stuck firmly in the pothole in the catwalk. He bent down, grabbed her foot, pulled firmly with both of his hands, but at the same time, he was also making sure he wasn't harming her in the process, and he managed to pull her foot out of the hole. Jessie quickly got to her feet, a big smile on her face as she looked at Cloud.

        "Thanks, Cloud. Yeah, I'll be okay now," said Jessie, smiling, clearly very grateful, as she still gazed brightly at Cloud. Cloud nodded back at her, but he still looked urgent and desperate to escape.

"Alright, let's get out of here then. We've only got about seven more minutes until this whole place gets blown away," said Cloud, grimly, knowing full well that they would really have to hurry back in order to make it to safely in time, but they would, he was sure of that at the moment.

Barret nodded in agreement, but Jessie looked doubtful about something. She didn't make any move to run, as Barret soon noticed, and he stopped, and turned to face her. Cloud stopped as well, though he was very impatient and irritated, an angry expression on his face.

"(Why don't these guys move it already!? Don't they see that the whole place is gonna explode in nearly five minutes, and we're not even near the exit yet!)" thought Cloud, furiously, clearly frustrated.

"Jessie, come on," said Barret, urgently, though not quite with the same desperation as Cloud. Jessie still didn't move though, looking both horrified and thoughtful, and her fright seemed to overrule her senses for a moment.

"So terrible. That robo-guard scorpion was so terrible," said Jessie, shivering, looking thoroughly spooked. Cloud snorted in clear frustration.

"Yes, it was terrible. But we were even more terrible and smashed it to bits. Now come on," said Cloud, impatiently, trying with a huge effort to keep himself from shouting and raging at her to hurry.

"But how can we stop Shinra? They created that thing like it was nothing. And to make it guard a place they barely even care about. What about the things that they really DO care about? What do we do when we reach things that are that important to them?" asked Jessie, fearfully. Barret looked no less determined or stubborn.

"Then we'll just smash them too. AVALANCHE isn't alone in this, and you know it. It's a big world out there, and it's waking up. And when it does, Shinra will be screaming in rage, then in pain, and then finally, in fear," said Barret.

"But how can anyone stop them? Nothing can destroy the major things that they make, except for other things that they can create. How are we supposed to stand up to things like that?" asked Jessie. Cloud snorted in annoyance and scorn, this was clearly getting them nowhere.

"Come on, already. Just leave her behind to die if she won't come right now. I'm leaving here at once, with or without you lot," snarled Cloud, getting very impatient and annoyed, and he started to run off.

Barret's large and only remaining fist suddenly reached out and grabbed Cloud tightly by his collar, stopping him firmly in his tracks, and he found himself unable to move.

"(Damn selfish prick, can't he see she's just scared and needs assurance here, and instead he goes about making her feel even worse! The asshole don't give a damn 'bout no one but his own worthless self, he leave his comrades to die like a heartless coward!)" thought Barret, angrily.

Barret glared hard at him, clearly enraged, as a tear fell slowly down Jessie's cheek at what Cloud had just said, who stopped struggling to escape, looking slightly downcast but no less urgent. Barret spoke up furiously.

"SOLDIER…just let me tell you something for a moment, ya damn hotshot. I know that in SOLDIER, they teach ya to evaluate casualties by cost analysis. What's the going rate, one SOLDIER is worth eighty riflemen? So if there's a choice between losing eight hundred riflemen and eleven SOLDIERS, they write off the riflemen. Well, that's how Shinra does things. But it's not how AVALANCHE does things. If you take one step to abandon us, then you'll be dead before you can take another," warned Barret, darkly, with a menacing glare.

Cloud finally freed himself from Barret's grip but instead of running for it, he turned and walked back to Jessie, ignoring Barret, even though he knew perfectly well that what Barret had just said about Shinra's cost analysis was true.

Cloud reached out and wiped the few tears from Jessie's face, who seemed rather surprised in turn, and listened intently as Cloud spoke up, looking deadly serious.

"Listen, I spent two years in SOLDIER going through the hardest training and battles I've ever been in. And I survived it all and grew strong. If you don't give up, you'll grow to be strong, and you'll be able to take everything they throw at you. You might die, but they'll be sorry you weren't on their side. But that will never happen if you give up now. There's no time for a touching story, we just have to get out of here right now, Jessie," explained Cloud, calmly, but still with a sense of clear and intense urgency.

Understanding and reassured, Jessie nodded and smiled at Cloud, and then she quickly ran down the path that they had come in from, and Cloud and Barret followed her, running as fast as they could.

"(I guess Cloud's right…even if we don't win, we can always put up a good fight, and wound Shinra once and for all, to show that they can be beaten in the long run. But I've been so stupid to lose confidence in such a desperate situation like this…)" thought Jessie, angry and ashamed at herself, as she rushed along the path with Cloud and Barret.

They ran to the end of the small path, climbed up a small ladder, ran along the path, jumped over the hole and ran along through the door. They then ran up the big stairs until they reached the elevator. They got in quickly, and Jessie pushed the button to go back up as fast as she could.

After they had got in the elevator, Jessie (who was a little breathless and panting slightly from all that running) looked at Cloud and Barret, and she seemed rather curious about something for a moment.

"What did happen to you two back there with that big red scorpion machine, anyway?" asked Jessie, curiously. Barret didn't reply, seeming too distracted by their situation, and Cloud shook it off coldly and abruptly.

"Long story. No time to explain right now," replied Cloud, shortly and indifferently, not wanting to waste even more time, he only wanted to concentrate on escaping alive.

Jessie blinked in surprise, and she didn't ask again, seeing his point, and still feeling ashamed of herself for wasting so much time already. Cloud looked down at the timer for the bomb, then his eyes widened in horror as he saw how much time was still remaining.

"(Oh shit, shit, shit! Why the hell didn't I hurry it faster any sooner!? Heck, why the hell did I even come on this damn suicide mission!?)" thought Cloud, as composure breaking as he actually panicked.

"There's only a minute left, and its going fast!" shouted Cloud, alarmed.

"We'll never make it! There's no time!" shouted Jessie, clearly panicking, and looked hysterical with fear.

"Bullshit! There's always time! Just stop worrying about it, and run like hell!" roared Barret.

"But it looks like they've probably shut those gates again for security measures," noted Jessie, still terrified. Both Barret and Cloud cursed in frustration at this realisation.

"(Damn those Shinra! Always making my goddamn life harder for me, the bastards, well they ain't gonna get away with it, that's for damn sure!)" thought Barret, furiously.

The elevator reached the top floor, and they ran out at top speed. They ran to the first security gate before the elevator, and Jessie quickly got the gate opened. They ran to the next security gate where Biggs still was standing guard. Biggs stood in the middle of the room, four Shinra guards lying dead on the floor nearby in the area, each of them all covered with bullet wounds, and surrounded by a pool of blood.

"Biggs! Hurry it up, and get that damn security gate open now! There's only twenty five seconds left!" shouted Barret, urgently. Biggs' eyes widened in terror, and he immediately went to work at once.

"(Twenty-five seconds!? How the hell are we gonna get out of this one!? Shit, this is going to be real tight, I wished I'd delayed the bomb just a little longer,") thought Biggs, terrified, but trying desperately not to panic as he tried to get the gate open quickly.

"This is taking just too long, we're all going to die, we're going to die…" said Jessie, nervously, clearly panicking, as she counted that there were only twenty seconds left.

"I've almost got it…there! Code deciphered," said Biggs, looking scared and desperate to escape as well. Biggs quickly got the gate opened, and he, Cloud, Barret, Jessie quickly ran straight to the Reactor bridge as fast as they could, literally running for their very lives. 

Wedge was waiting for them at the other end of the bridge just in front of the escape passage, and spotted them at once, calling over to them as they ran towards him.

"I heard the alarm, and realised that you guys needed help to escape! I've already broke down the escape doors, and gotten rid of all the security! It's clean sailing from here on! Come on, let's hurry! There's only fifteen seconds still left!" shouted Wedge, urgently, clearly terrified.

The others quickly ran across the long bridge towards the exit of the Mako Reactor where Wedge stood waiting, but it was still a fair distance ahead, and they had to get off the bridge before the Reactor would explode. They kept running as fast as they could and were talking at the same time, all of them terrified and alarmed.

"Come on, come on!" urged Barret, frantically.

Ten seconds left.

"Hurry! We haven't got much time!" shouted Cloud, alarmed, and for once, actually terrified.

Nine seconds left.

"A few more seconds to go!" shouted Biggs, desperately, as they were getting closer to the exit now.

Eight seconds left.

"God, please bless us," said Wedge, nervously, and shaking in fear as he stood waiting at the escape passage. 

Seven seconds left.

"Wedge! Don't say such unfortunate things!" yelled Jessie, who had overheard him while still running, but she also looked very panicked.

Six seconds left.

"Okay, we're almost there! We're going to make it! Let's just get out of here now!" shouted Cloud.

Five seconds left.

Just as they were right outside the exit, Barret suddenly and accidentally tripped up Jessie on the bridge, not seeing her trying to run past him, and she fell over on the Reactor bridge, spraining her knees and legs, as she winced in pain. Hearing this, Barret stopped and spun around in horror.

"Jessie!" shouted Barret, alarmed, and was about to rush to her aid, but Jessie quickly shook her head at him, and Barret stopped abruptly, but looked desperate, finding himself forced to make a quick and terrible decision about what to do.

Four seconds left.

"Just keep going! I'll try to catch up!" shouted Jessie, though she was struggling to get to her feet.

Three seconds left.

"(Oh my god, oh my god, I'm going to die. I'm gonna get myself and everyone else blown to bits because of my crises of confidence, it's all my fault, we're all gonna die!)" thought Jessie, panicking and desperate.

But before Jessie even knew what was happening, someone suddenly and quickly pulled her to her feet. She looked up, and was surprised to see it was Cloud. He looked at her urgently, actually seeming rather concerned.

"Hold on tight to me, and don't let go. We're dashing through from here. Come on!" urged Cloud, knowing full-well that Jessie's legs were too bruised and sprained for her to run quickly enough to escape.

Two seconds left.

"Come on, Cloud, hurry it up!" yelled Barret, as he, Biggs and Wedge ran through the exit to safety, though they looked back at Cloud and Jessie, praying for them both to make it safely with them too.

One second left.

Cloud ran after them, throwing Jessie over his shoulder and running while carrying her too, running as fast as he had never ran before in his life, his heart beating rapidly in his tension, as he drew closer and closer to the exit.

Cloud ran straight through the exit to safety with Jessie safely in his grasp, in exactly the same moment the timer stopped and read 00:00.

Massive flames suddenly burst across the Reactor bridge, and reduced it to flaming dust in an instant in a massive explosion that illuminated the entire dark sky of Midgar in a bright flash of light and a massive ball of fire. The Mako Reactor exploded with great force, and a large fireball erupted into the dark sky, lighting up the whole city, and a massive shockwave shook through it.

The explosion wiped out the entire bridge, all of the passages that led to Mako Reactor N0.1, and the entire Mako Reactor N0.1 itself was completely destroyed, and reduced to burning rubble, not one bit of the Reactor was left standing or unharmed. The explosion also destroyed a large part of the Sector 8 upper city as well, nearby the Reactor, just as Cloud had predicted would happen. 

The Mako Reactor N0.1 was now reduced to nothing more than burning ruins. All across the entire, vast dark city of Midgar, the explosion could be heard from anywhere, and its force could be felt too.

For miles around, even in Kalm, the small town that was a fair distance of miles away from Midgar, the explosion was seen in the horizon. 

The massive fortress of steel and Mako erupted with an earth-shaking blast and a fireball that rose for miles into the sky, lighting up the perpetual night that hung over the whole dark city of Midgar. 

Both the upper and lower cities of Sector 8 completely blacked out as all their electricity was gone, since there was no longer a Mako Reactor left to convert Mako energy into electricity for Sector 8, and high in the Shinra tower that loomed over Midgar…somebody was clearly not pleased.

Meanwhile, having entered the escape passage, Cloud, Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were all in a small tunnel in a sewer nearby, which had managed to stay intact as expected, as the group rested for a bit, and tried to get through a door in the sewer, which lead to the Sector 8 upper city.

Cloud, Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie had all barely managed to get out of there safely, just in time, with no serious injuries, and their very first mission, it seemed, had been a complete and total success.

********************************************************************************************************

Moments before all of this, Aeris Gainsborough was still in the Sector 8 upper city, still trying to sell her flowers, but having no more luck than she did previously. 

Aeris sighed in slight frustration and disappointment, but it wasn't as if she had expected anything different to happen anyway. Nothing whatsoever was going to change when she tried to sell her flowers, Aeris decided. Nothing whatsoever. Just the same old routine, again and again, and Aeris decided to leave, finally giving up any hope that anything was going to happen, that any of her flowers would be sold.

        But as Aeris took a step forwards, she suddenly heard a strange sound from the Mako Reactor N0.1 that towered nearby, and as she glanced around in its direction, it suddenly blew up in a gigantic, fiery explosion, completely wiping out the houses and buildings nearby it, and sending debris and smoke flying into the air, only to rain down on the helpless Sector 8 upper city below and before it.

        Aeris gasped in shock, her beautiful emerald green eyes wide with astonishment and disbelief, as she saw all that remained of the Mako Reactor N0.1 now was a smoking, flaming pile of ruins.

She gasped again when she looked up to see the Reactor debris falling and crashing down onto the city itself, propelled by the force of the explosion, flattening some other buildings and people inside them as well.

Aeris quickly leaped out the way, as a particularly large piece of debris came raining down from above her, and smashed onto the ground of the streets, mere inches away from where Aeris was now standing.    

Her face now white and pale, the sort of frightened reaction a person gets when the realization of them nearly being killed, Aeris quickly decided to get moving away quickly, as more debris came flying down, barely missing her again.

Aeris quickly ran as far away from the destruction as she could, dodging and leaping out of the way of falling debris in her path that threatened to strike her, though this was no easy thing to do when you were wearing a long pink dress and carrying a basket of flowers.

        Aeris quickly reached another narrow alleyway to seek cover from the devastation, and stopped within it, panting heavily, as she watched more debris smash into houses, causing destruction and utter chaos around the whole city. Aeris could do nothing but watch it all, feeling both horrified and terribly saddened, and guilt from being so helpless.

        The downpour of the debris stopped after about five more seconds, but it was more than enough to destroy a large part of the upper city, and the Mako Reactor itself lay in ruins nearby, black smoke and flames rising from it, and where screams and explosions had filled the night sky moments ago, there was now only a grim, mournful silence.

        A single tear slid down Aeris' cheek, but she made no effort to brush it away, and only stared in pure, heart-rending sorrow at the scene of death and destruction that lay in wake throughout nearly the whole of the Sector 8 upper city, with several people dead that she had been trying to sell flowers to only mere moments before…

Aeris stepped out of the alleyway, having escaped the chaos with her life and with even her flowers still intact, she could only walk along the ruined streets of the Sector 8 city, barely deserted other than a few survivors she could see, but thousands had to have died.

As Aeris continued along the path of devastation that lay about her in most of the city, her heart aching with pain and sorrow, she knew that she had wanted the Reactor to be stopped, but not like this…

Not to take the lives of thousands of innocent people…

        Even if it had been to save the Planet's energy from being sucked up from the Reactor, this act was still completely inexcusable. Whoever did this had a lot to answer for…


	3. Reactor N01: Escape From The Reactor

_Chapter 3_ _Escape From The Mako Reactor___

Having collapsed in exhaustion, the five members of the AVALANCHE rebel terrorist group staggered back to their feet in a small, gloomy tunnel, each of them exhausted from running through it while the explosion occurred outside it, but they were all extremely relieved to find themselves somehow alive and safe, with the mission successfully completed.

The bad news, however, was that the ceiling in front of them in the tunnel had collapsed as a result of the Reactor explosion, and blocked up the entrance to get out, and it was also their way to the Sector 8 upper city.

"Shit, now what the heck do we do, the whole exit's been blocked off! Damn it, this was not part of the plan!" cursed Barret, slamming his only remaining fist on the side of a wall in frustration.

"And with the Reactor in ruins and the bridge wiped out back there, it's way too dangerous for us to go back the way we came," said Wedge, grimly.

"Hey, hold on a minute people, we can get out of this. I've brought along something just as we left the hideout, before the mission even began, in case that this sort of situation would happen," said Biggs, and he slowly withdrew from his backpack another bomb, similar in size and shape to the last one that was used on the Mako Reactor.

"What the hell are you thinking, you stupid dumb-ass!? We just narrowly escaped from getting blown to bits by one bomb, we don't wanna get blown up by another one!" snapped Barret, furiously, incredulous at the very suggestion of it. Biggs sighed wearily, and tried to explain patiently, while the others also listened carefully as well.

"Listen, this bomb may look similar to the last one, but it's got a lot less firepower and devastation behind it. In fact, compared to the other bomb, this one's got no more bang than a firecracker. But it should have enough power to destroy the debris blocking the exit leaving us with a way out, and we won't be harmed by it as long as we stand at the opposite end of the tunnel while it explodes," explained Biggs, calmly. Barret considered this plan thoroughly, but he still looked rather doubtful all the same.

"But what if the people right outside this tunnel notice this explosion, it'll draw far too much commotion to us, and it would be enough for them to figure out that it was us who destroyed the Mako Reactor," said Barret, grimly. Wedge abruptly shook his head, disagreeing.

"Actually Barret, from what I know of the navigation of Midgar and this city, the area just outside the tunnel is nearby the Mako Reactor, and the explosion earlier would have wiped out all areas nearby it, including this one. So there won't even be anyone around here to notice the explosion anyway," explained Wedge. 

But he and everyone else looked remorseful rather than relieved about this obvious fact, though they only did what needed to be done to help the Planet. But they wondered about it all the same…

"Before this all happened, I did point out the fact that these consequences would happen if the Mako Reactor blew up, so don't feel sorry about it now, what's done is done," said Cloud, coldly, looking indifferent about the whole thing. Barret glared furiously at him, his fist clenched.

"But that doesn't make it any less tragic or regretful, does it, ya selfish git!? We'll do what needs to be done, but that don't make this whole thing easy to deal with, no way!" snapped Barret, angrily. Cloud raised an eyebrow in response and shrugged, but said nothing, keeping silent.

The others were all looking downcast, all of them, even Barret and perhaps even Cloud, feeling truly guilty for their actions, but they would carry on with them, or Shinra would make things far worse in the long run if they weren't stopped. It was a heavy price to pay, but they HAD to pay it.

"Alright then, so what's it going to be, Barret? Do we go through with this plan I've suggested, or do we stay back here trapped, doing nothing while Shinra search around the area for us?" asked Biggs.

"Alright then, fine! Go through with this plan at once; let's just get the hell out of here at once before those Shinra bastards show up! Come on, get to it!" ordered Barret, sharply, impatient once again, but Biggs only nodded in response, and turned to face Jessie, the bomb in his hands.

"It's your job to sort out all the technical settings, right Jessie? You think you can sort them out on this bomb too?" asked Biggs, curiously. Jessie nodded, looking confident.

"Sure, this will be just a cinch to do, especially when compared with the complex settings required for the last bomb back there. Setting this one's going to be no problem next to that," said Jessie, with a shrug.

Biggs nodded and handed Jessie the bomb. But as Jessie took it and stepped forwards towards the caved-in exit, she stumbled and nearly fell over on her sprained leg, still injured from falling hard on the Reactor bridge. Biggs caught her before she could fall, and to his relief, the bomb didn't fall either, and it therefore suffered no damage.

"Hey, you alright?" asked Biggs, concerned.

"Yeah…I'm fine. Just a small injury…" said Jessie, shaking her head quickly, not wanting them to think her weak, but Wedge stepped forward and kneeled down.

"Just hold still for a moment, Jessie," said Wedge, as he carefully bandaged up her leg, and soon he was done. Jessie smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, I can program the settings by myself, don't worry about it," said Jessie, insistently, as she limped over to the tunnel exit and placed the bomb there, and she quickly got started on programming its settings.

They were all in agreement now that the only way out was to blow up the debris covering the exit with a small bomb, and it was definitely lucky that Biggs had supplied one, as Jessie continued to confidently program its settings.

"(Always pays to have one of those around. I'd been wondering if we might need it after the Reactor blew up, with all the debris the explosion was bound to cause, and it looks like I was right after all,)" thought Biggs, smugly, but also intensely relieved that they had all escaped the Mako Reactor safely, and without any serious injuries or setbacks either.

As she programmed the settings, Jessie was planning to use the small bomb to blow up the debris and rubble blocking the exit, so that they could escape to Sector 8, and then it would also set the tunnel on fire behind them so that no one would be able to follow them from the tunnel.

Jessie bent over a pile of mouldy rubble, still setting the small charge, though it would not take much longer to do. Wedge shifted nervously and managed a small smile, while Barret and Cloud were both quiet and lost in their own thoughts, as Biggs sighed in relief.

"Well, that should keep the Planet going for at least a little longer. At least I hope that the life of the Planet will sustain for a little while longer now after that Reactor blew up. It will save some of the Planet's energy from being sucked up at any rate," said Biggs.

        "Yeah, but we're lucky the walls of that Reactor and this tunnel held themselves intact during the explosion or we would have been killed for sure, although we did hope that the tunnel ceiling would hold, and not block the exit like this," replied Wedge, nodding. 

Barret simply nodded in response, and surprisingly made no comment about it this time, but Cloud saw things very differently to the others.

        "(Fools…about all we did here was nearly get ourselves killed, and you say we won. Nothing's changed. Shinra will just build another Reactor to replace the one we just blew up. The next one will be made tougher-made than before and won't be so easy to take out, and you won't have me there to hold your hand the whole time, either,)" thought Cloud, darkly.

        Cloud sighed and glanced at Barret, who also seemed to have realised the same thing as Cloud, and was being unusually quiet for once. He seemed to know how little his team had really done tonight. But aside from that though, there was also something else in Barret's eyes, something that Cloud just couldn't understand. It was hope.

How could Barret EVER hope to defeat the mighty Shinra? It thoroughly baffled Cloud. Barret was vastly undermanned and outnumbered. His little resistance wouldn't stand any chance against SOLDIER, and Cloud was willing to bet that the next time Barret and his friends tried this stunt again, Shinra would be ready and waiting for them.

Shinra may be cold and unsympathetic, but they're also intelligent and cunning as well, and they were anything but stupid or careless. While Cloud thought about this, Jessie was finishing the settings for the small bomb.

"Hurry it up, will ya? This is taking too long and we've been here long enough as it is," said Wedge, impatiently.

"Hold on, I've almost got it…" said Jessie, as she concentrated intently on the bomb's settings.

"They're gonna be checking this area any time soon, you know!" warned Biggs, also getting impatient.

        "I know, I know, just settle down while I…okay, its ready, now everyone get back at once, it's going to blow in ten seconds," warned Jessie.

They all ran to the other end of the tunnel, though they didn't have to hurry as quickly or as urgently as before. The small bomb suddenly exploded, wiping out the debris and rubble that stood in the way of the exit and setting the tunnel on fire, though compared to the Reactor explosion, this one was indeed no more than a small firecracker.

As soon as the bomb's explosion soon died down, Cloud, Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all quickly leaped out of the flaming tunnel, rushing through the flames as quickly as they could before they could get any burns or injuries from it.

Wedge's jeans were on fire, however, and he quickly ran around like mad in a panic and rolled over on the ground, which quickly put the fire out, although it had still left him with some burns, though not serious, and he looked thoroughly shaken and scared none the less. They all gathered together as Barret spoke up in a commanding tone.

        "Alright, we've all done real good here tonight, so we're off to a good start. We can't discuss our plans out here, with Shinra patrols on the loose, so we're heading back to the Sector 7 Slums, and to the hideout. Split up and meet on the train at the Sector 8 train station, and then we'll go back to the hideout and discuss our next mission plans. And don't any of ya be late," ordered Barret, glancing at Cloud in particular.

        "(So this whole bunch of clowns actually has some brains after all…amazing. And here I was thinking that they were all lost causes in this suicidal rebellion,)" thought Cloud, dully, and then the thought of his money struck him intensely.

Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all obeyed at once, and took different directions to the train. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were loyal and always obeyed Barret's orders and never argued with him, even though they sometimes might have disagreed with his orders, they still carried them out anyway, without question or second thought. Cloud, on the other hand, was anything but faithful or loyal to anyone, and of all people, that especially included Barret.

"Hey, wait just a minute, we need to talk right now. The job's over, and you're not getting out of paying me for it that easily," protested Cloud, sharply, stepping out in front of Barret, and stopping him in his tracks. Barret turned around to face him, looking impatient and exasperated.

"Look, if this is just about your money, then just wait and save it until we get back to the hideout, it's too dangerous to talk about it here with Shinra on the lookout for us. Go on the train and accompany us to the hideout, and you'll get your whole payment then," replied Barret, and without waiting for an answer, he quickly ran off to the train, without another glance back at Cloud.

Cloud realised that Barret was right, and he reluctantly decided to head to the train with them as well. Taking another path to the station, Cloud ran over to a ladder, climbed it, and he ran along the path to the Sector 8 upper city…or at least what might be left of it…

********************************************************************************************************

Meanwhile, at the Shinra Headquarters, President Shinra himself had noticed and seen Mako Reactor N0.1's explosion from the windows of the building, on the 70th floor (which was the top floor of the building), when the Mako Reactor N0.1 had blown up.

President Shinra had blue eyes, and he had a small amount of curly blond hair on his otherwise baldhead. He had a curly blond moustache, and he was dressed in a posh crimson red suit with a black tie, and all his clothes looked neat, posh and tidy, not one bit out of place, and with not even a speck of dust on them whatsoever.

President Shinra was fairly fat and round, and he very regularly smoked a cigar in his mouth. Not one person could even remember him without it.

President Shinra was the founder and leader of Shinra, and he was enormously, unbelievably wealthy, as he was the richest man on the entire Planet. The only things that he cared about were money and power.

Other people's lives simply meant absolutely nothing to him, perhaps explaining why Shinra Incorporated was so feared by so many people and why Midgar was such a dark and dreadful place from being run by it. His bright crimson two-piece suit fitted him snugly, his figure retained from such things as waving and simple gestures.

Blonde hair streaked with silver covered his balding scalp, and his bushy blonde moustache was neatly trimmed. An expensive moonstone ring adorned his middle finger, and magically shimmered whenever his hand moved. 

The president's dark blue eyes stared uninterested at Midgar through black, thin-rimmed glasses. Although the President of Shinra Incorporated was not the most menacing figure, he was nevertheless the most powerful man (in terms of wealth) on the Planet.

President Shinra had seen the explosion of the Sector 1 Reactor outside his large office window, and he knew instantly that AVALANCHE was behind it. He was not very pleased at all, but (as usual) he did not show his anger, and remained calm and casual about it.

        "(What hopeless fools they are. They think that they can defeat Shinra with such minor acts as this? They clearly have no idea what they are up against. We can easily just build another stronger, more efficient Mako Reactor in no more than a few months. Such small terrorist vermin like them are easily dealt with. But…maybe I should pay them a visit myself, in person,)" thought President Shinra, thinking the situation over.

Coming to a quick and final decision, he walked over to a radio on his desk, which allowed him to talk to his personal secretary, and he spoke to it, after alerting his secretary to the fact he was about to issue an order.

"Secretary, make an urgent appointment for tomorrow afternoon for me to visit the rebel terrorist group, AVALANCHE, in person. Send someone to be on the train tomorrow morning, perhaps the manager, to find out where it is that they will strike next. And tell Scarlet to bring the Airbuster robot along too, and a unit of Shinra soldiers," ordered President Shinra.

        "Yes, sir, I shall get right on it at once. But sir, if I may ask, why do you want to see them yourself anyway? Isn't that too dangerous?" asked the secretary, curiously.

"Oh, I just want to see the great AVALANCHE rebel group in person for myself. To see them just before they die, in our little trap. And to prove that no one can stand in Shinra's way. I want to see what kind of fools that we are dealing with. Their fireworks are good, but otherwise, they are weak," said President Shinra, coolly.

********************************************************************************************************

Meanwhile, eleven floors below the President's office, was the office of the Turks. The Turks were a small, but very highly skilled and fully trained group of very selective agents who were hired by Shinra for missions like spying, kidnapping, murder, sabotage, and all sorts of horrible things. The Turks completed all of these missions with ease, and they had never failed even one mission before.

The Turks had been with Shinra since the founding of the corporation, and as long as Shinra paid them extremely well, which they did, then the Turks did absolutely anything for them, no matter what the consequences.

Standing on the 59th floor of the Shinra Headquarters building was their main office. It was here that the leader of the Turks stood observing the brightly lit city below him from the large window in the north wall, facing the ruins of what had been Mako Reactor N0.1 only an hour before.

He stood in the closed office section of the Headquarters, which was less formal then the black-marble floored, fine wood furnished reception area of the office, though no less expensive-looking. Another Turk was also in the room with him, looking down at the dark city as well.

The leader of the Turks wore a dark blue suit that was neat and tidy, and not even a bit dusty or messy, or out of place. He had fairly long black hair, dark eyes, and a small mark scarred on his forehead.

His name was Tseng, and he was the very leader of the Turks. Tseng had been born from Wutai, but he had been banished from there as a kid, and he went to Midgar, and joined Shinra, where he quickly rose through the ranks and soon became the leader of the Turks. Tseng was one of the most experienced Shinra executives in the whole company.

The other Turk with him was dressed in a messy, scruffy dark blue suit, had shaggy red hair, blue eyes and also wore a blue headband.

He wore a dark blue suit like Tseng, but unlike Tseng's, it was very scruffy as though it had been slept in for days, and he also wore dark blue jeans, black shoes and dark sunglasses on his forehead, all of this equally scruffy and messy. 

His name was Reno. Reno's red hair and dark blue suit always seemed to be very scruffy and messy, as if he just didn't care about being tidy or clean, and Reno was thin and very lanky, although he was still tough and cool. Reno had been a member of Shinra and the Turks for only four years.

"So, exactly when do we go for that girl again, and what sort of plan have we got to try and actually catch her for good this time?" asked Reno, curiously. 

Reno quickly noticed that a cold, dark shadow seemed to pass over Tseng's face at the mere mention of that girl for some reason that Reno had no idea of, but Tseng then spoke calmly and without emotion.

"All I know for sure is that it's likely it will be in the next few days, Reno. The President will inform us of the exact time of its occurrence," replied Tseng, coldly, still staring out the window, which Reno noticed, with a snort.

"Just what the heck's so interesting out there, anyway, Tseng? You've been standing here, staring out there for fifteen whole minutes now. The fireworks are already over and done with, you know," said Reno, coolly. Tseng shook his head wearily, not removing his sight from the vast view outside the large window.

"I'm not sure why I'm looking out here. I just have this feeling that something down there is not right. It feels like there's something wrong. Something that we should know about," said Tseng, slowly. Reno raised an eyebrow, looking rather sceptical.

"(Why doesn't the guy try making sense for once, it's not as if there's anything more important to this whole thing. The Reactor's exploded, some stupid rebels have bombed it, and they are an enemy and need to be dealt with at once. It's as simple as that, and at the end of the day, it's nothing for Shinra or the Turks to be worried about,)" thought Reno, unconcerned about the whole situation, confident that AVALANCHE would be easily dealt with, as he then spoke up, attempting to abruptly change the subject.

"Yeah whatever, Tseng. So, where's Rude anyway? How long ago did he leave on his next mission?" asked Reno, curiously, referring to the only other Turk currently in Shinra Incorporated. Tseng finally withdrew his gaze from the window, and turned to face Reno.

"He left a few days ago for Junon. In fact, he should be back here any time now. I told him to meet me down in the First Floor lobby of the building. You should come with me to meet him there. What I have to say concerns both of you," explained Tseng.

"Wait a minute, Tseng, just what do you have to tell us?" asked Reno, sharply and curiously, wondering just what it was that might concern them, and whether or not it had anything to do with the latest predicament with AVALANCHE.

"Recently, due to AVALANCHE'S actions, I have decided that our numbers are too few, so we are expecting a new recruit soon to help sort this situation out. Just come with me, and you'll find out all about it, and the person who's joining, chosen among a selected group of candidates," replied Tseng, getting slightly annoyed and impatient. Reno shrugged, but felt a little irritated as he noticed that Tseng was staring out the window again.

"Just what are you staring at now?" asked Reno, with clear exasperation and impatience. 

Tseng turned back to face Reno, with a grim frown on his face, wondering how to answer so that Reno would actually take it seriously. Providing that he ever would take anything seriously at all, of course.

"(It's been a long time since Shinra Incorporated has met with any serious enemy threat like this, not since the war against Wutai years ago. So this bombing comes as a surprise, but we will still be prepared for them soon enough. I hope Heidegger will come up with a useful new candidate for the Turks; we may well need more assistance. And since the public can be easily turned against AVALANCHE, that gives another advantage to us. But still…why would an enemy finally stand up to Shinra after all this time, and why would they bomb a Mako Reactor to do it?)" thought Tseng, pondering the situation intently, trying to sum up his thoughts as he spoke.

"It's something about the Mako Reactor N01. I'm wondering about exactly why it was destroyed…the full reasons and circumstances behind it. No…forget it, Reno, it's nothing. Come on, let's just get going," ordered Tseng, deciding not to indulge the subject any further for now.

Reno merely shrugged in response, still confident and unconcerned, while Tseng remained deep in thought, and with that they both walked out of the Turk's office in silence, to make some preparations elsewhere in the building towards retaliating against AVALANCHE.

        Little did AVALANCHE or the Shinra know, however, that was would only be the very beginning of a great, long struggle that would take place between them, and little did any of them know that there would be other great threats to them along the way as well…


	4. Reactor N01: Flower Girl, Daring Leap

_Chapter 4 _ _Flower Girl And A Daring Leap___

Meanwhile, Cloud was still walking along the upper city of Sector 8, towards the train. Cloud plodded up the stairs leading out and hit a bundle of confusion and panic among all the few citizens left in the area as a result of the Mako Reactor explosion. Several stores and tents had been shattered, leaving their residents out in the streets.

A giant girder had fallen from the Reactor and crushed Goblin's Bar after the explosion. He knew many people had died and were going to die because of his actions, but he still took the job anyway. He had killed before when he was in SOLDIER, and he would do it again now. After all, he was only a mercenary, and he needed the money.

"(Looks like the whole place is a mess. The Reactor's wiped about half of the whole city, in the area nearby it. There's debris everywhere too. Thousands of people would have been killed instantly because of the Reactor's destruction. There seem to be a few survivors, but not that many…and AVALANCHE are still going through with these methods?)" thought Cloud, perplexed, but still unconcerned about the whole situation. After he got his payment for the mission, he would be leaving Midgar, and it wouldn't be his problem. It was that simple.

He saw rotted posters for the play "Loveless", which was supposed to be a smash hit. That was why it had been playing for forty years straight. The last actress to play the lead, though, was caught and killed in an apartment fire. 

The few survivors within the area were now running in blind panic and confusion across the streets of what remained of the Sector 8 upper city, not really paying much attention to watch where they were going. 

They only concentrated on fleeing from the Mako Reactor as quickly as possible, fearing another possible explosion, but Cloud, knowing better, knew that another one wouldn't occur in this particular area.

Lost in deep thought, Cloud wasn't really paying attention to where he was going either, and as a result he accidentally bumped straight into Aeris, (who was still in the city, trying to find out more about the whole tragic situation), when he was just about to run right past her, and she stumbled but Cloud quickly grabbed her wrist gently to stop her from falling and then offered his other hand to help her up.

"(It's a good thing that being in SOLDIER gives you such quick instincts and sharp senses. Now though, it's about the only reason that I'm thankful for going there at all,)" thought Cloud, darkly.

Aeris looked up at Cloud and smiled, taking his hand gratefully. She slowly got back up, and then she gently let go of Cloud's hand and brushed dirt and murk off her pink dress. Aeris then turned to face Cloud.

"(Wow, this guy certainly has good reflexes. I guess I should have been paying more attention to where I was going, instead of focusing too much on what's happened here…I'm still lucky to be alive considering it, but I have to understand what happened here…what would cause the deaths of so many people…I wonder if this man knows about it…)" thought Aeris, as she then spoke up, looking at Cloud.

"Thank you. I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going," said Aeris, and Cloud noticed that she did indeed look rather distracted, seeming sorrowful about the bad situation that had happened in the city, but she smiled at Cloud all the same.

"No, it was my fault," insisted Cloud, apologizing, and then he looked at her clearly for the first time, and instantly felt his insides explode with a bizarre feeling Cloud hadn't ever felt since his childhood. 

Cloud stood there, shocked and transfixed, staring at Aeris, unsure of what he was suddenly feeling. Aeris smiled at Cloud, and it was such a beautiful smile across a truly flawless face that Cloud suddenly froze for a long moment. They both stared at each other for a minute, not saying anything, gazing into each other's eyes.

Cloud was instantly lost in her beautiful green eyes that hung in front of him, staring at him along with the warm smile still on Aeris's face. Cloud suddenly felt very strange, and thought he could feel his heart starting to beat strangely, but he didn't take his eyes off Aeris, who didn't take her eyes off him either, staring intently.

"(Just why is he staring at me like that…and why am I staring at him? For some reason, I don't find it uncomfortable at all…but his eyes…there's something in his eyes that reminds me of…of him. In fact, he looks just like him, except for the colour of his hair…he even dresses like him, and even his sword looks identical to his…)" thought Aeris, clearly astonished about something, but she did not remove her gaze.

Cloud racked his brain for something to say, to break the sudden tension he now felt. Aeris finally broke the silence first, although she was still smiling at Cloud, now looking very curious about something.

        "Hello, excuse me sir, but what's been going on around here? I heard rumours from the few survivors still around that it was something that happened to the Mako Reactor N01, and I saw it explode earlier too. I saw a bright light up there earlier along with this big ball of fire, then there was just a pile of rubble in its place and debris flying from it. What just happened here?" asked Aeris, curiously.

She clearly seemed a little desperate to know the answer, to understand exactly what was going on, but Cloud knew it would be far foolish and dangerous to reveal the truth about it to anyone who was not with AVALANCHE, and at once, he knew he had to convince her there wasn't anything else to it.

        "N-Nothing. No really, it's just nothing. It was just a Mako Reactor blowing up, scattering debris all over the city, as far as I know, there was nothing more to it than that. It's nothing to worry about, I'm sure. You'd better get out of here though, it's still not safe around this area," replied Cloud, with sudden concern for her as his sarcasm vanished.

"(Why do I feel so concerned for a complete stranger whom I've only just met? Sure, she's really attractive and all, but since when have I been interested in that sort of thing anyway?)" thought Cloud, rather bewildered about it. Although she was still smiling brightly, Aeris now looked politely puzzled, but not suspicious.

        "Really? Well, I don't really know what's been going on around here, but alright, I'll get out of here if you say so," said Aeris, and she started to walk off.

But to her and his own astonishment, Cloud suddenly ran in front of her and quickly stopped her and stood in front of her, finding himself wanting to try and get to know her, but he couldn't think of anything to say.

"(What…just what the hell am I doing!? Haven't I got other things to be doing besides this!?)" thought Cloud, irritated with himself, but he didn't move, and did not show a sign of irritation to Aeris at all, and felt none towards her.

Aeris stopped, and she stared at Cloud, clearly puzzled, but her face was still smiling and kind, not in the least bit irritated or impatient. Annoyed with himself, Cloud finally came up with at least one more thing to say, noticing (with some surprise) the basket of real flowers that she hung over her wrist, thinking of it as another distraction from the Reactor.

"Hey, listen, um…you don't see many flowers around here in a city like this. I thought that it was impossible for them to grow in Midgar," said Cloud, finally. 

Aeris's smile widened across her flawless face, and her emerald green eyes sparkled joyfully, causing Cloud's heart to somehow beat even more strangely.

        "Oh, these flowers? Do you like them? They're only a Gil each. And yes, it is impossible to grow flowers here for the most part. But for some reason, I can manage it alright," said Aeris, grinning. Cloud raised an eyebrow, but found that he did not doubt her words in the slightest.

        "Well in that case, I'll take one," replied Cloud, with a shrug, despite wondering what use he of all people would have for a mere flower, but seeing Aeris' eyes light up happily seemed to make it all worth it.

        "Oh, thank you, sir! Thank you very much. Hey, who knows, maybe I'll see you again sometime. Midgar's not really as big as it seems at times, I may just see you around some day. Anyway, here you go," said Aeris, smiling gratefully, holding out a flower.

        "(And just when I started to give up hope of selling one of these tonight. Even if it is only a gil, it's still a relief to know that my flowers can be sold…at least that's some comfort for me in a terrible day like this,)" thought Aeris.

Cloud took out a gold coin from his pocket, and handed it to Aeris. Aeris smiled, and handed the flower over to him. Aeris thanked Cloud again and again, clearly very grateful, then she left, glancing back at him once for a while, and then she was out of sight.

Cloud watched her leave, staring after her until she was out of sight. As much as Aeris, who would be poorly yet accurately described as beautiful (as she was simply beyond beautiful), held him entranced, he needed to head to the Sector 8 train station at once, before it could leave.

Feeling stupid and angry with himself, Cloud stuffed the flower gently into his pocket instead of tossing it away, and continued to walk along the Sector 8 upper city, lost in thought once again, but now he found that he was completely unable to get his mind off Aeris, thinking strangely about her face, her eyes, her hair, her smile and her sweet, gentle nature.

As he passed under a huge archway that had managed to avoid being hit by debris, broken and snapped electric cables crackled and buzzed, sending random showers of sparks down to the rubble-littered ground below.

A fountain was set in the middle of the courtyard. The water had turned murky with all the ash that had rained down from the explosion. Cloud looked up at some graffiti on the wall, reading the words:

Don't be fooled by Shinra! 

Mako energy doesn't last forever! 

Mako is the Planet's life source! 

The end is in sight!

Protectors of the Planet: AVALANCHE!

AVALANCHE…that was the name of Barret's rebel terrorist group, of course, so it had to one of the rebels that put up this message. How could anyone honestly believe that they were going to overthrow a corporation as powerful as Shinra with such a pathetically small group of members? Then again, they had done well so far, considering that fact, but Cloud still highly doubted that they would go all the way.

Then he suddenly realised that he was wasting too much time, as he might miss the train to Sector 7. Cursing himself angrily, Cloud quickly ran along the remaining streets of the Sector 8 upper city to the train station, which he and the others knew had been untouched by the explosion and debris.

Cloud spun on his heel, and quickly ran through the downtown square and streets that were covered with even more AVALANCHE fliers and anti-Shinra propaganda. Evidently, it seemed that Barret and the others had chosen this moment as an opportunity to discredit Shinra Incorporated, before heading to the station and leaving on the train.

Adding insult to injury, AVALANCHE had spread their logo in peeling blue spray paint across a Shinra billboard along with another anti-Shinra message, and other Shinra advertisements were also vandalised by the rebel group.

Uptown though was an entirely different scene. Well-built brick houses with lush shrubbery lined the clean cobblestone streets, with black metal fences adding to the calm and well-placed scene. 

The town streets were slightly damp with the evening chill and yesterday's rain, and a thin fog hung around the streetlights of the town. The Reactor's explosion or the debris, it seemed, had not reached this particular area of the city, to the fortune of its citizens.

Without pausing once, Cloud ran straight along Sector 8 as he came to another small road with houses nearby, and still he did not pause to stop, sensing that he was close to the train station now. 

But as Cloud reached an arch bridge that was right over the train tracks that were nearby the train station itself, he felt a sudden sense of danger in the air around him, and he stopped in his tracks.

"Hey! That's the guy from the warning we got! Blow his head off! Stop right there!" shouted a rough voice that he didn't recognize whatsoever.

Cloud turned to see that two Shinra soldiers were running quickly towards Cloud, armed with guns, either about to capture him, or about to kill him. But either way, Cloud was determined not to go down easy.

One of the Shinra soldiers fired his machine gun at Cloud, bullets firing towards him. But Cloud managed to quickly block them using his large sword with ease, the bullets hitting the sword and just bouncing off it in front of him, to the blank astonishment of the soldiers.

Cloud then raised his large sword, charged to the soldiers quickly before they could react, and he slashed one of the Shinra soldiers with his sword, going right through the man's armour and stomach, gutting and killed the soldier instantly, as the bloody corpse fell to the ground, its insides spilling out onto the pavement from the bloody wound.

The other soldier, terrified, quickly used his machine gun and fired it at Cloud. Cloud lifted his sword in front of him and it blocked the bullets from hitting him again, and caused the bullets to just bounce off the sword. Cloud then charged towards the soldier, raised his sword, and slashed him right through his body with it, killing him in one blow, and sending him to the ground in two bloody pieces.

Cloud ran back along the path, but two other soldiers were right behind him. Cloud quickly spun around before they could react and killed one of the soldiers with his sword instantly, slashing him through the chest with it.

The other soldier fired his machine gun at Cloud, but Cloud managed to block the bullets with his sword. Cloud then raised his sword, and quickly killed the soldier in one blow with his massive sword, right through the soldier's mid section.

But now, eight Shinra Soldiers in a circle had suddenly cornered Cloud on a bridge, and had him trapped, all of them aiming their guns right at him, each of them ready to fire at a moment's notice, at any sign of resistance.

        "This just isn't my day," muttered Cloud, dryly, thinking dully to himself that he had never said a truer word.

"That's as far as you go, criminal scum. You are under arrest for terrorist activities. Alive or dead, you will come quietly, but co-operate with us, and you will not be shot down dead right at this very moment," stated one Shinra soldier, flatly, as they all aimed their guns at Cloud.

Just then, Cloud heard the loud, shrill whistle of the train blowing before and below the bridge. He snarled to himself when he realized that he had missed the train, it was just about to leave the station! 

And it was one heck of a long hike back to the lower city and Slums of Sector 7 without going there by train. There was only one thing left to do now, and he had to do it fast. Cloud fully focused his attention on the group of Shinra soldiers, an idea occurring to him.

        "Hey, I just don't have the time to be playing and messing around with useless weaklings like you guys. I've got far better things to do with my time," replied Cloud, coolly, seeming indifferent and unconcerned towards them, which seemed to irritate them, just as it had with Barret.

"Enough talk and enough of your babbling, you terrorist scumbag! Now all of you grab him, place him under arrest!" shouted another soldier, to the other Shinra soldiers.

Obeying, they all quickly lunged at Cloud, which was just the escape opportunity that Cloud was looking for. With the guns no longer aimed at him, Cloud dodged their grasp and quickly jumped onto the edge of the bridge. 

Wasting no time, he then quickly jumped off the bridge and landed right on the roof of the train just as it was travelling under the bridge, and the train then travelled down a subway tunnel, with Cloud still holding on tight to the top of it so he didn't fall off, allowing Cloud to escape. 

Stunned and angry, the Shinra soldiers on the bridge all quickly fired several bullets after him, but all of them missed as the train had already gone down the subway, and Cloud had escaped safely.


	5. Reactor N01: Long Train Ride Home

_Chapter 5_ _The Long Train Ride Home___

        Meanwhile, Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were all in the cargo hold compartment of the very same train, sitting on some of the cargo boxes in different areas of the compartment. They were hiding out in the cargo hold, until they were sure it could be safe to enter the passenger compartment. The whole group were silent in their own thoughts for a moment, until Wedge finally broke the long, deathly quiet silence that occupied the whole cargo hold in the train.

        "Cloud never came back…he never showed up. We waited and searched around the whole area before the train left, but we never saw him in the station or anywhere on this train," said Wedge, quietly.

        "(What could this mean…? Did Cloud not bother to follow us back, was he that desperate to leave? No…he would have collected his payment first. That means he would have followed us…something must have happened to him then…)" thought Wedge, solemnly.

Biggs looked out the only window of the cargo compartment on the train at the speeding wall of the subway tunnel outside as the train headed down it from the upper city to the Slums, and he folded his arms across his chest, staring thoughtfully.

        "You should all know by now what Cloud's like…anything could have happened to that guy for all we know, he's really that unpredictable. But there were a lot of Shinra patrols out there after the explosion though, so it wouldn't surprise me if he'd encountered some of them…I wonder if he faced them down and was killed?" wondered Biggs, thoughtfully, staring out of the train window.

Barret snorted and shook his head firmly in response, although he himself wondered whether or not Biggs was right about that. 

Cloud Strife, the Ex-SOLDIER turned mercenary, certainly seemed reckless in a lot of life threatening situations, and seemed too arrogant and cocky at times as well, sometimes far too overconfident for his own good.

Nevertheless, Barret absolutely refused to think that Cloud was dead or captured until there was solid evidence that told him so, as he spoke out to the others.

        "No damn way he was killed! The guy was in SOLDIER; don't ya remember that, fools? Those guys always tower over Shinra soldiers in skill and combat, that's why Shinra place so much more value on them. Cloud can take care of himself against guys like that. Besides, he's got his cash and his girl to come home to! And I saw him in action too, with my own eyes, battling that damn Guard Scorpion! After seeing him defeat that thing, I know that he couldn't be killed that easily by a patrol of Shinra soldiers!" shouted Barret. The others, except Jessie, looked a little more hopeful and optimistic.

        "Where do you think that he went off to then, if Shinra Incorporated didn't capture or kill him? Do you think that he's still going to come back and fight with us, Barret?" asked Wedge, curiously. 

He wondered intently what Barret really thought on the whole subject, but he was rather surprised as he saw that Barret looked completely indifferent and unconcerned about the possible fate of the Ex-SOLDIER.

        "Who the bloody hell cares about that fool, anyway!? He did nothing except trigger an alarm, which made that damn robot thing come after us in the first place! For all I care, he could have got killed by Shinra!" shouted Barret, furiously, looking rather agitated, while the others were still solemn and rather quiet.

        "That's not really a very nice or accurate thing to say, Barret. Cloud did help us out a lot at the Mako Reactor. If it wasn't for him, the whole mission would have been a lot harder, and who knows, we might not even be alive right now if he didn't come along," said Wedge. Barret snorted, looking sceptical, but he said nothing.

        "Cloud…" whispered Jessie, quietly to herself, feeling depressed, her gaze fixed sadly on the floor rather than at the others, keeping quiet and thinking to herself, as silence once again filled the whole cargo compartment.

"(Is it true? Is he really gone? What are we supposed to tell Tifa if he is dead? How do we explain this to her? And Cloud…he saved my life twice at the Mako Reactor, putting his own life at severe risk the second time to save mine. If he's gone…then I'll never be able to thank him properly for it…I know he wasn't really all that cold and uncaring deep down…and for some reason I…I really admired him…)" thought Jessie, depressed.

Suddenly, there was a loud, hard knock on the top of the train roof from right above them, as if something had just banged on it.

Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all glanced up at where the knock sound had come from, but after no other sound came from the whole area, they all glanced back down, and assumed it was nothing.

Once again, the whole group became lost in their own deep thoughts, but the long silence was broken again, as Biggs spoke up, looking thoughtful and curious about something that had just occurred to him.

        "Say, now that I think about it…do any of you think that there's even a remote possibility that Cloud's…going to stay and fight to the bitter end for AVALANCHE alongside us, against Shinra Incorporated?" asked Biggs, thoughtfully. All of a sudden, Barret looked absolutely enraged.

        "What the hell would I know about it!? Do I look like a damn mind reader to you!? How the hell am I even supposed to know how that selfish asshole's mind works!? But from what I saw of the guy, he doesn't give a shit about the Planet or any of us, he made that damn clear several times in the Reactor, and you people act like he was some heroic saint, well guess what morons, he wasn't!!" snapped Barret, sharply, and the others all stared at him in shock, quite taken aback.

Cursing with rage, Barret suddenly slammed his fist hard on a nearby cargo box in anger and frustration, smashing it to splinters with a loud crack.

The others were all stunned into silence, none of them able to think of anything to say. Barret seemed to calm himself down though, and seemed solemn.

"If you all lot weren't such damn screw-ups we wouldn't have even needed the guy in the first place, and he wouldn't have had to come here at all…" muttered Barret, frustrated, his gaze at the train floor.

The others took no offence to Barret's comments, they knew Barret well enough to know that when he was in a temper, he didn't really mean a lot of the things that he said, but they all still couldn't help but wonder at his words, and couldn't help but feel guilty and sorrowful. Wedge dug his hands into his pockets as a thought occurred to him, and then he looked up at Barret.

        "Hey Barret, what's happening about our own money for these missions anyway? When exactly do we all get our own payments?" asked Wedge, curiously, wondering whether they were even getting paid in the first place.

Barret abruptly slammed his fist hard on another nearby cargo box in response, also shattering it to pieces, saying nothing but giving Wedge a sharp glare. Seeing the foolishness of his question, especially at this particular moment, Wedge quickly dropped the subject and looked away.

"Uh…no nothing, I'm sorry, Barret. Never mind, just forget about it, I know it's not the right moment to bring it up…" said Wedge, quickly, nervously avoiding Barret's gaze. 

Suddenly there were even more loud bangs on the top of the train, and in quicker succession. Jessie abruptly looked up, listening intently.

"Hey you guys, just stop arguing for a moment, and listen carefully. I think we've got some unexpected company here," said Jessie, listening out for more signs of noises from the train roof, and Biggs seemed to be in agreement as well.

"Yeah, I think she's right about that. I heard something up there too. Didn't you guys hear something suspicious on top of this train?" asked Biggs. Wedge shook his head slowly, while Barret snorted, looking sceptical.

"I didn't hear nothing up there, or from anywhere in this whole damn area. You both must be getting senile, hearing imaginary stuff," said Barret, sharply. Biggs sighed wearily, shaking his head.

"Just be quiet and listen carefully for a moment, Barret, please," said Biggs, patiently. 

As all of them listened carefully this time, they all heard yet more bangs on the top of the train, harder and louder than ever before. Barret nodded and stood up at once, finally noticing, looking very serious and alert.

"Yeah, I hear it now. Looks like ya right after all, Biggs. Do the rest of ya hear that? Jessie, slowly open the train door to see what it is, and be careful. It could be trouble, so make sure ya open it steadily," warned Barret, darkly.

"Alright, Barret…" said Jessie, obeying, walking quietly towards the door, while Barret, Wedge and Biggs all raised and aimed their guns at the door, ready to fire just in case an enemy came suddenly bursting through it.

"(This could be some damn trap of Shinra's, and we might be playing right into their filthy hands. Looks like we ain't escaped from any trouble yet,)" thought Barret, grimly.

There were more loud bangs from the train roof as Jessie cautiously and slowly opened the train door, and then they all watched in started astonishment as Cloud suddenly jumped right down though the train door into the cargo compartment, performing a rather impressive somersault in the process, and landing right in the middle of the gang without even stumbling in the least.

Everyone stared at him, all wide-eyed in surprise and disbelief. Noticing their astonished expressions and stares, Cloud actually chuckled and even grinned.

"Even before I was in SOLDIER, I always did know how to make an impressive entrance in any situation," said Cloud, coolly, shrugging as if to say that his sudden appearance was really no big deal.

His words broke the startled silence as the whole compartment suddenly burst into cheers and applause, and everyone in the compartment except for Barret all rushed towards him.

"Cloud, it's you, it's actually you!! You made it, you really did make it here after all! And from jumping down onto the top of the train, by the look of it just now! Incredible, man!" exclaimed Biggs, amazed, thumping Cloud on the shoulder, which caused Cloud to stumble slightly, to his slight irritation, having not expected it.

"You're alive, you're really alive! And with not even a scratch on you from leaping onto and into a moving train!" exclaimed Wedge, clearly pleased, as he shook Cloud's hand a little too roughly, causing Cloud to stumble a bit yet again, to his minor annoyance.

"Cloud, you're okay. You're really okay, I was so worried…" said Jessie, with a soft sigh of relief, as she stepped forwards and wrapped her arms around Cloud's waist, pulling him to her as she hugged him tightly, her head leaning against his chest for a moment.

Cloud felt really awkward now, but found that this didn't really cause any annoyance at all; in fact it was actually quite alright. Noticing his embarrassment, Jessie let go of him and stepped back, beaming brightly, as Cloud spoke up to them, trying not to look uneasy.

"Um…yeah, hey guys. Looks like I'm a little late, judging by all your reactions. I had a little run in with the law, from groups of Shinra soldiers, so I just got held up fighting them off and escaping their grasp by jumping onto the top of the train from the bridge nearby the station, while it had just began to get moving," explained Cloud, coolly.

However, unlike Biggs, Wedge and Jessie who were very impressed and awestruck by Cloud's skills, Barret (who had been very quiet and unmoving since Cloud's surprise entrance) was now shaking with murderous rage, his only fist clenched tightly, as he glared hard at Cloud, looking absolutely enraged rather than pleased or relieved to see him.

"You're damn right, you thick asshole! You're goddamn stinking late, and I warned you not to be! But instead, you have to be a rotten bloody show off! Deciding to just come and waltz in here, making a big scene just like that! What the hell are ya playing at!? Just barging in here, acting all cool and casual!" snapped Barret, angrily. 

Cloud raised an eyebrow at Barret's reaction, but he looked completely unconcerned and indifferent about it. He wasn't too surprised to see such a reaction from Barret, even at this moment of time.

"Hey, it's really no problem at all. It's not the most idiotic thing that I've ever done, you know. I'm just doing what I always do on these sorts of missions. So don't get all stressed out about it, Barret. I always make an impressive entrance on these assignments," said Cloud, coolly, shrugging. 

Predictably though, these words had only served to make Barret even madder, as he glared murderously at Cloud, and exploded with intense rage.

"SHIT!!!! I'll have none of that damn crap, ya mercenary dumb ass!! You go having everyone all worried like that and not giving a damn about it, you just don't give a shit about no one, but yourself!!" snapped Barret, very angrily.

"What, you were all worried about me? And why was that exactly then? It's not like I'm one of you people, you know, I'm just a mercenary, after all," said Cloud, with minor surprise and scorn, raising an eyebrow, seeming once again cold and indifferent. Barret's eyes widened slightly, then he exploded furiously and continued to rage at Cloud.

"WHAT!? Damn it, you just shut the hell up, ya bastard SOLDIER boy!! Well just for that, I'm taking this incident out of ya money, ya stupid hotshot!! Now wake up, all of ya!! We can't remain in this carriage forever, you morons! So we're moving out to the next compartment, now follow me! We're gonna go into the next car, talk for a bit, and then go to Sector 7 Slums and Tifa's bar, okay!? And all of ya keep the hell up this time!" snapped Barret, and he stormed off loudly, fuming, into the nearest passenger car.

As soon as Barret had gone into the next car, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all walked up to Cloud one by one in turn, staring at him in admiration and respect.

"Hey Cloud, you must have been really great back there against those soldiers. You did a nice job back at the Mako Reactor too. Man, you're so cool. I'm just glad that you were on our side tonight. Whether you stay or leave, at least you really gave us a good start to show Shinra what we're made of," said Wedge, and he then walked off to the passenger car, as Biggs stepped towards Cloud next and spoke to him.

"Don't worry about us, Cloud, we could do even better next time after this success, with or without you. Barret's okay, but you shouldn't keep annoying him like that. With such a short temper like Barret's, getting him angry is no better then committing suicide. Watch yourself," said Biggs, grinning with clear amusement.

Biggs then walked off to the passenger car, leaving only Cloud and Jessie left inside it, as Cloud looked over at her. Jessie turned back to face the open train door leading outside, but she still spoke to Cloud.

"Please be a little more careful next time, Cloud, I was really worried. I think I'd better shut this train door, it would look way too suspicious to the train guards around here if it was left open," said Jessie.

She quickly shut the compartment door leading to the tunnel outside as the train sped through it on its way to the Slums and lower city of Sector 7, and then Jessie turned to face Cloud, looking a little surprised.

"Oh Cloud, it looks like your face is almost pitch black with soot from being on top of that train for a while. The guards might notice and get suspicious about it. Here, let me wipe your face you," said Jessie. 

Before Cloud could protest, she rubbed his face gently with a handkerchief until his face was fully clean. Jessie smiled at Cloud, and put her handkerchief away, studying his face for a moment, though it was for rather longer than Cloud thought was necessary.

"There you go, that's much better. Now you're all clean," said Jessie, brightly. She started to walk out to the passenger car, but she then turned back and faced Cloud, beaming happily and gazing back at him again.

"Oh…and thanks again for saving my life back there at the Reactor bridge. I really do owe you," said Jessie, softly smiling gratefully, leaning close to him and kissing Cloud deeply on the cheek, pulling away five seconds later.

Jessie beamed in delight at him, her eyes sparkling happily, and she then walked off to the passenger car, with a wide grin spread across her face. Slightly surprised about the whole thing but quite indifferent about it, Cloud quietly followed her to the passenger car.

When they entered the passenger car, the rest of the passengers (about three of them) noticed them and ran off in a panic to the next car, leaving AVALANCHE alone. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie ran to the other end of the passenger compartment and stood there.

Biggs leaned against a railing and yawned sleepily, Wedge looked out of the train windows to see where exactly they were, Jessie was studying a digital map of Midgar on a computer display in the side of the train, while Barret sat down with a thud on the left row of the train on one of the seats in the middle of the row, and he turned his head to look at Cloud, giving him a rather sharp look.

"Listen up, you damn bloody show off. While we're here on this train, we don't wanna get noticed much, so you gotta stop causing problems, getting into fights, and drawing attention while we're here. So for just this once, stop acting like a damn stupid kid, and just sit down and shut the hell up!" shouted Barret, furiously, glaring hard at Cloud, who found it hard once again not to be infuriated at Barret, despite himself.

"(Just what the hell does this guy take me for anyways? He's the one who hired me to do all that stuff at the Reactor in the first place, and as for the incident at the city near the station, it wasn't my fault I had problems with those soldiers, and it wasn't as if I had a choice other than to leap onto the train,)" thought Cloud, with clear irritation.

Annoyed, Cloud simply ignored Barret, completely refusing to answer to him, which seemed to anger the big black man, who in turn chose to ignore him too, and instead Cloud walked over to the other end of the car where Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were standing. 

Noticing him coming by the sound of Cloud's footsteps on the train floor, Wedge stopped staring out of the train window and he turned to face Cloud, with a somewhat hopeful expression on his face.

"(Hmm…now that I think about it, I've really been wondering a lot lately about what really makes being a AVALANCHE member all worth it, to endure every mission and hardships in the fight against Shinra Incorporated. The chance to gain money, or fame, or glory, or just the chance to help save the Planet and fight for its survival? Well…I guess that Cloud would choose money above everything else…but I wonder if he thinks there's any great future in store for being a member of AVALANCHE that'll really make it seem worthwhile some day,)" thought Wedge, and he spoke up to Cloud, deciding to ask him about it.

"Hey Cloud, I want to ask you something for just a moment. Do you think that I've got a bright future ahead of me, being a member of AVALANCHE and all that? I mean, will I ever be anything worthwhile because of it? Like a famous eco-warrior, or a hero?" asked Wedge, curiously. Cloud shrugged in response, but decided to answer.

"Well, I guess so. As long as you have a dream, ambition and a little determination, then there's no limit to what you can achieve in life. What do you have in mind exactly, anyway?" asked Cloud, finding that he was curious about the subject, despite himself. Wedge sighed heavily.

"All my life, in the past, I used to feel like nothing but a mere unimportant sidekick. But ever since the day that I joined AVALANCHE, I've felt…like I'm really needed…that I can do lots of useful things to help out the Planet. Most of all though, I truly believe that someday, no matter what the outcome of this whole situation is, that AVALANCHE is going to be famous everywhere, and that means that I might be famous and important someday too!" exclaimed Wedge, proudly, wondering if this was what made it all worthwhile. 

Cloud thought about this for a moment, seeing Wedge's point on the subject, as Biggs spoke up, looking rather tired, yawning sleepily.

"Judging by the looks of it, Shinra Incorporated haven't switched this train to security mode yet. But I'm sure that will no doubt really change by tomorrow, after tonight's recent events. Still, that mission earlier at the Mako Reactor N0.1 really took its toll on me…with all the intense work and effort it needed. I'm going to sleep until we get to the station," said Biggs, and his eyes wearily closed, and eventually he would be asleep. Jessie turned away from the digital map, and she turned to face Cloud.

"Hey Cloud, do you want to come and have a look at this with me? It's a map of the Midgar railway system, and a view of what the whole city itself would look like from outside of it, and from above it. Let's look at it together, and I'll explain it all to you. Since you're still new to the city, I thought you might like to see this," said Jessie, brightly.

"(No wonder Tifa seems to like Cloud so much, and I can't help but envy her, the way he seems around her…but anyway, it'll be useful for him to know more about Midgar, it's just the sort of city that anyone would want to know about…though for varying reasons,)" thought Jessie.

Jessie and Cloud walked towards a digital monitor built into the train wall, showing a map of the city of Midgar. They both looked at the map monitor. A green wire frame image of the whole city itself was displayed against a black background on the screen.

It rotated and zoomed in and out, showing whatever part of Midgar anyone wanted to view. It clearly showed the upper city of Midgar built by Shinra on the gigantic Plate right above the original but now lower city of Midgar.

"I really do like this kind of stuff. Bombs, monitors and electronics, you know, basically any sorts of flashy stuff. It's all really quite fascinating. Anyway, this screen shows a complete model of the city of Midgar," explained Jessie, as they both looked at it, and Jessie continued explaining.

"The Plate of Midgar, with all the upper cities on top of it, is about fifty metres above the ground where all the lower cities, also known as the Slums, are standing. A main, gigantic support structure holds the Plate up in the centre of it, and there are also other support structures in the middle of each sector, one for each of them, making it eight in total. The Mako Reactor N01 we blew up was in the northern section of the city," explained Jessie, pausing a moment to think about what else to say, and then she continued.

"And then there's N02, N03, and so on, going all the way up to the N08 Reactor, but we won't follow this number pattern, it'll be way too obvious to anyone, and then Shinra will figure out our next targets easily, so we're trying to do it as randomly as possible so they won't be able to figure it out. The eight Reactors each provide Midgar with electricity. Each of the towns of Midgar used to have a name decades ago, before Shinra came here and built the Plate, but no one living in Midgar can even remember them anymore. So, instead of names, we just refer to them by numbered sectors. That's just the kind of place that this is," explained Jessie, with a shrug, pausing for a moment to think of what to explain to Cloud next, and then she continued speaking.

"This is the route this train is currently on. The train spirals around the main support structure in the centre of the Plate like all the other trains, after going through the tunnels that lead them from the upper city to the Slums, and also the other way around too. We should be coming around the centre area of the Plate right about now. And at each checkpoint the train reaches along the way, a Shinra ID security sensor is set up, and it checks all the identities and backgrounds of each and every single passenger on the train by linking it up to the central data bank at the Shinra Headquarters, telling them if there is anyone untrustworthy on the train, someone they want imprisoned, and that would go for us too, of course. Anyone could easily tell we look suspicious, so we're using fake ID'S," explained Jessie.

With Jessie having finished explaining everything important she could think of on the subject, she and Cloud then turned away from the map monitor, and a train alarm suddenly went off, and a red light appeared and flashed around the whole passenger compartment, to Cloud's surprise.

"(What the hell is this!? I thought she said that Shinra couldn't detect us with our fake ID cards, so what the heck does this alarm and red light mean then!? Damn it, don't they me they've just screwed up all over again with this whole thing!)" thought Cloud, angrily, cursing inwardly.

Cloud spun around in alarm, startled and alerted by the red light and the alarm going off, but neither Jessie, Barret, Biggs (who was now fully asleep) nor Wedge were even in the slightest bit worried or concerned, or even so much as glanced in the direction of the noise. Bewildered, Cloud turned to face Jessie, now looking and feeling rather puzzled indeed. Noticing his confused expression, Jessie blushed slightly, and she hastily explained it to him.

"Oh, speak of the devil…that red light you can see flashing in here just now means that we're in the ID security area, from reaching a security checkpoint. And when all these train lights go off completely because of it, you may never know what may happen to you next after that. But don't worry, the red lights will just go out again soon. And we're almost back at the hideout now, that's a huge relief," said Jessie, calmly. 

Just as she finished speaking, the alarm suddenly stopped, the red lights all stopped flashing and went off at once, and everything was quiet again. Suddenly, Jessie brightened up again as an idea occurred to her.

"Hey, I know! Next time out, on the next mission…if you come along that is…then I'll give you a special fake ID card that I made myself. Just think of it as some of my gratitude for saving me back at the Reactor. I'm the type who likes to take things personal," said Jessie, with a smirk and a wink.

"Alright then, thanks, I'll be looking forward to it, Jessie," replied Cloud, nodding, deciding not to bother saying again that he had no intention of staying with AVALANCHE any longer after he would received his payment for the mission he had helped them do earlier. Jessie beamed happily at him all the same, pleased to have gotten a polite answer from him.

"Okay Cloud, then I'll put a little extra effort into the ID card, and really make it with a big bang. Anyway, we're almost back at the Sector 7 Slums now, and after talking here with you and back at the Mako Reactor N01, I really want to do this whole thing, to be a member of AVALANCHE to the very end until we achieve our goal! I really think you've lit my fuse!" exclaimed Jessie, smiling happily, gazing at Cloud.

Cloud shrugged in response, but he still thanked her for the explanations on Midgar and the train systems, which seemed to please Jessie considerably. The train travelled back under yet another tunnel on its way to the Slums of Sector 7, causing the whole inside of the train to go dark again. At this, Wedge moaned in complaint.

"Man, this really sucks, having to travel under the tunnels on the train all the time! This is exactly why I hate the dark. I'm seeing spots and stars," complained Wedge, rubbing his eyes in annoyance. Jessie looked over at Wedge, as Cloud walked away down to the middle of the passenger compartment.

"Hey, quit your moaning, Wedge, it's not as if being a member of AVALANCHE doesn't include any downsides or faults to it. Besides, we're almost back home safely to the hideout," said Jessie, calmly.

Wedge was still grumbling about travelling through the dark tunnels, but the train quickly emerged from the tunnel and the darkness went away with it, most of it anyway, since the lower cities of Midgar never had any sunlight whatsoever due to the whole Plate covering the view above it. Biggs clearly didn't notice it, as he was now fast asleep, and snoring loudly, and Cloud could even hear him sleep talking a little.

"…Don't…don't you go on acting so damn big headed, Barret…'cause you ain't…all that big whatsoever…are ya, ya damn loudmouth…" muttered Biggs, drowsily, in his sleep, now beginning to snore loudly, which Cloud and the others definitely found rather annoying.

Barret stood up at once, glaring sharply at Biggs in severe irritation, due to both his snoring and to his comment, and smacked him upside his head with his one remaining large, black-skinned hand. Biggs awoke at once, and yelped in surprise and pain, his hand going at once at the back of his aching head and rubbing it gently.

"Geez, Barret, just what the heck was that for, I was just sleeping, that's all, so what the hell did I just do wrong?" asked Biggs, looking genuinely bewildered and confused, wincing slightly as his head ached.

Barret glared at him for a second, and sat back down on his seat, not answering Biggs, who still looked thoroughly puzzled indeed. Barret shifted on his seat, and he turned to look out of one of the train's windows. 

Cloud stood in the middle of the compartment nearby him, curious as to what Barret was looking at right at the current moment. Barret spoke to him, though he didn't take his eyes off the view outside the train window.

"Hey Cloud, get ya damn scrawny ass over here, and take a good look at this! Take a look out the window, you can see the surface now, these lower cities of Midgar ain't got no day and no night at all. It's always dark around here, and without the streetlights and bulbs, it would all be pitch black. If that damn Plate weren't there, above the lower cities with the upper cities of Midgar on top of it, then we could see the sky from here. That huge Plate blocks the view of the sunlight, the rain, and even the entire damn sky from this whole place, that's why it's always so damn dark around here in the lower cities," explained Barret.

Finding himself very intrigued and curious about the whole subject, Cloud walked over to Barret, and he looked out another window just nearby, staring out at the dark lower cities of Midgar, and saw the massive Plate held up far above the whole lower cities, known more commonly as the Slums, blocking out their view of the sun and the sky.

Cloud knew like everyone else that the entire upper city of Midgar was right on top of the whole Plate, along with the Shinra Headquarters itself in the very centre, and the Mako Reactors surrounding the Plate and both the lower and upper cities. As awesome and as truly amazing a sight as it all was, it was also pretty creepy, dark and gloomy, like something out of a nightmare.

"A floating city…pretty unsettling scenery," said Cloud, gazing intently at the vast view outside. Raising an eyebrow, Barret got up from his seat and stood in front of Cloud, staring at him in surprise.

"Huh…? I never expected to hear that outta someone like you. Man, you're just full of surprises. The upper city of Midgar…a city on a Plate. It's because of that damn stinking Plate that the people underneath it in the Slums of lower Midgar are suffering! And because of it, the lower city is always full of polluted air and on top of that, the Reactors keep draining up all the energy, making this whole Planet weaker and weaker until it will finally just wither away," explained Barret.

"Then, why the heck doesn't everyone in the Slums just move onto the Plate, and live in the upper city?" asked Cloud, bewildered. Barret just shrugged.

"Don't know, maybe its because they ain't got no money to afford a move like that. Or maybe, it's because they love their land, no matter how dead or polluted it gets. Some people are like that. They believe in keeping what they have, and steering their life towards making it better on the path of life, the path that they've either chosen or forced to live with," replied Barret, calmly. Cloud nodded, understanding completely.

"…I know…no one ever lives in the Slums of lower Midgar because they really want to…but because they have to, because they really have no choice at all. I guess life is kind of a lot like this train. It can only go where its rails takes it," said Cloud, thoughtfully.

Only a solemn silence greeted Cloud's words, as Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie had all gone quiet, each lost in their own thoughts about the whole subject, each of them having been listening intently to it, before they all left separately to the next passenger compartment, deciding that the train guards had cleared out of it.

Cloud, seeing that the train was still going to take a while to get to the Sector 7 Slums, decided to look around the train, as he opened the door of the compartment and entered the next one, where the others had all gone a while before.

Evidently, the AVALANCHE rebel group had moved into the next passenger compartment from this one that Cloud had just entered. Entering the compartment, Cloud saw that it was deserted, except for four big men who stood at the other end of the compartment, surrounding one of the seats, and Cloud could see that someone else was also sitting on that seat, but he couldn't see who it was while the small group of men were surrounding the person.

Not caring in the least about what wasn't his own business, Cloud was just about to turn back to leave the compartment to the first one, opposite the door to the third compartment that the others had evidently gone to, when he quickly noticed something through a gap between the men, a long pink skirt, with a basket of flowers on its lap…

Heart suddenly leaping up into his throat, Cloud stepped forwards slightly, as he watched the biggest and most menacing looking man of the group grab and pull the person by the collar of a red jacket, and lift the person up slightly in mid-air, leering down nastily. Cloud recognized the other person now; there was no mistake about it…

It was the same flower girl who he had run into back at the Sector 8 upper city, the same one who had wanted to know about the Reactor's explosion, and who had seemed to have held him so entranced in their first encounter…

"I told you, Aeris. I told you to pay up NOW at the latest, and you still ain't got the damn money, and I want it NOW," snarled the biggest man, holding Aeris up tightly by the collar of her jacket, who showed not even the slightest sign of fear in her emerald green eyes.

"But I don't even owe any of you for anything at all, so why should I give any money to the likes of you, Vulcue?" retorted Aeris, and Cloud found himself surprised and rather impressed by her courage.

"Because I ALWAYS get want I want, whenever I want, from whoever I want!" snapped Vulcue, viciously, and Cloud grimaced with fury at the attitude the large thug was showing, even though it was slightly similar to his own.

Vulcue snarled angrily, and hurled Aeris hard onto the train floor. Aeris landed there in a heap, her basket of flowers tumbling away, as Vulcue and his three big cronies surrounded her, all of them about to beat her or worse…

"Keep your damn hands away from her!" snarled Cloud, as he stepped forwards towards them, his fists clenched tightly, as the four thugs spun around at once to face him with expressions of surprise and anger. Cowering on the floor, Aeris looked at Cloud too, and she seemed rather astonished.

"What the hell did you just say, shit face!?" hissed Vulcue, viciously, every sign of a death threat in his eyes and tone, as he glared murderously at Cloud.

"Didn't you hear me, or are you just deaf and stupid!? Get your dirty hands off her!!" roared Cloud, furiously, and without thinking, without even bothering to ready his sword or to stay unnoticed by security as Barret had so strictly ordered him, he charged forwards to attack.

Cloud lunged forwards, and punched one of the thugs hard in the face, blood spilling at once from the thugs' shattered nose, before then kicking him hard in the stomach and knocking all the wind out of him, and grabbing him by the collar, he soon sent him flying and screaming out the open train window.

Another thug turned on him and quickly thrust a very wide and sharp looking dagger at Cloud, stabbing at any direction, but Cloud quickly dodged each stroke, with reflexes born from his training in SOLDIER, and then grabbing the thug by the arm just as he avoided another thrust from the dagger, Cloud quickly twisted and bent it, and the bone instantly snapped with a loud cracking sound.

The thug screamed in agony, the dagger flying out of his hands into the air, and landing barely an inch away from Aeris' hand, and lodged itself deeply into the train floor, as Aeris gasped in surprise and fear from almost being hit by it.

Cloud quickly hurled the beaten thug out of the train window as well, before facing a third thug, and sent a lightning quick kick at his head before the man could avoid it, knocking the thug unconscious instantly on impact, and then Cloud quickly grabbed him by the collar and threw him out of the window as well, before spinning around to face Vulcue.

"Who…just what the heck ARE you, you damn freak…?" demanded Vulcue, looking both enraged and thunder-stuck at the same time. Aeris just stared at Cloud in amazement, not making any sound or movement, her mouth wide open, and her eyes were also wide with surprise as well.

"I'm an Ex-SOLDIER, first-class mercenary, AND your worst nightmare. Now just leave the lady alone," replied Cloud, menacingly. Vulcue snarled and growled darkly.

"No way, ain't nothing doing! Damn bastard, taking me for a fool! You're gonna pay!" yelled Vulcue, as he lunged forwards towards Cloud, grabbing the dagger from the train floor as he did so, with surprising ease considering how deeply it had been lodged into it, and he quickly thrust it at Cloud.

Cloud quickly dodged it, but it was a very close call, as he felt the edge of the dagger just rip slightly through his uniform but just barely not reaching his skin, as he spun around to face Vulcue afterwards only to find himself facing his muscular fist, and being hit hard across the face by it moments later.

Dazed and slightly dizzy from the impact, Cloud stumbled for a moment, his nose bleeding, just as Vulcue thrust the dagger at him again, and Cloud recovered quickly enough to dodge it in time, but felt the dagger cut through his uniform near his arm again, and though it didn't reach his skin once again, it was still a close call, and Cloud knew he couldn't keep this up, as blood trailed down from his nose.

Suddenly, Vulcue thrust the dagger at Cloud but this time he was faking it, as he tripped Cloud up by his feet just as Cloud went to dodge aside, and Cloud fell to the train floor, rather surprised by the dirty trick, but before he could do anything to get back up, Vulcue was pining him to the floor, the dagger held high in his hands.

Cloud fought hard to get Vulcue off, but he was the bigger and heavier of the two, and he had Cloud firmly pinned to the train floor. There was a mad, insane gleam of murder and morbid glee in Vulcue's eyes, as he raised the dagger above his head, aiming at Cloud's chest, ready to strike…

Suddenly, a long and strong wooden staff came swinging out of nowhere and struck Vulcue hard across the head. He fell backwards to the floor with an insane cry of surprise, pain, and rage. Now thankfully released and saved from certain death, Cloud looked back to see Aeris standing behind them, with a long but tough quarterstaff held firmly in her hands.

Vulcue snarled and rushed at her, the dagger held high in his hands, but Aeris stood her ground nevertheless, not once backing away even an inch, the staff held firmly in her hands, simply waiting for him patiently to come, and Cloud found himself impressed by her courage yet again, but nevertheless, he rushed in himself.

Quickly catching Vulcue by surprise, who had been too focused on Aeris at the time, Cloud punched him hard across the face, sending him crashing to the train floor again with another cry of pain and rage.

The dagger flew out of Vulcue's hands, and Cloud caught it by the hilt, and then quick as a flash, flung it straight at Vulcue, who still lay sprawled at the floor.

The dagger hit and pierced Vulcue straight in his chest.

Vulcue gave a weak cry of surprise and pain, the fiery murderous rage still in his eyes, but they were darkening, as he stumbled, and fell to the floor, twitching. After a moment, he didn't move at all.

Grimacing in revulsion, Cloud knelt to the floor, grabbed the body of the dead man with the dagger lodged deep into his chest, blood covering it, and quickly flung him straight out of the train window, some blood splattering it as the body flew to the ground beside the train, as it soon roared past, and the train continued its way to the Slums. 

Cloud suddenly wondered why no guards had come in to see who was causing trouble in the compartment, and wondered if the others had somehow found a way to distract them in the next compartment. Cloud couldn't see how they'd find a way of doing it without being arrested, though.

After handling the gruesome task from throwing the dead body out of the train window, Cloud turned away from the train window after firmly closing it shut, and he turned to look at Aeris, who had sat down at one of the train seats, silent and looking horrified and saddened for a reason that Cloud just couldn't understand. Nevertheless, the same strange feeling that he had felt when he'd first seen this girl at the city was rising in him yet again.

Finally, after another moment of silence, Aeris turned to look at Cloud, and a faint but beautiful smile spread across her flawless face and her green eyes sparkled a little, but they still held a flicker of remorse too.

"Thank you so much for your help, sir. I really thought I was going to get really hurt back there," said Aeris, with a slight shudder, and they both knew that she could have been raped or killed if Cloud hadn't of come to help.

"Don't worry about it. I don't think you're going to be bothered by the likes of those guys anymore, so just don't worry now. Anyway, like you said before, I'll probably see you around sometime," said Cloud, and he turned to leave the passenger compartment to check up on the others, but as he did Aeris suddenly stood up in surprise, fully recognizing Cloud now, due to his words.

"Wait! Wait a second! You're the guy I sold flowers to, back at the Sector 8 upper city, right? Thanks, I guess I owe you twice now, for buying my flowers, and now for saving my life. I'd really like to repay you in some way for it, sir," said Aeris, looking pleadingly at Cloud, who had stopped to look at her in surprise.

"First of all, you don't need to call me sir, and second of all, I don't expect to be repaid for what I did back there. I'm a mercenary, but just consider that task free of charge. So don't worry about it," said Cloud.

As Aeris stepped closer to Cloud, he found himself once again drawn to stare at her beautiful green eyes, and Aeris stared into his own blue eyes as well. For a moment, there was silence, before a big smile spread across Aeris' face, and her eyes now completely sparkled, with clear gratitude.

"Well then, in that case, I'd like to repay you in some other way if you won't accept money. Oh, that's right, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My name is…" began Aeris, and Cloud found himself interested to know her name.

But suddenly, the door to the passenger compartment from the next one flew open with a loud bang, and Barret Wallace came barging into the compartment, looking absolutely livid and furious. Cloud and Aeris broke their gaze, and Cloud knew the guards must have noticed the commotion earlier.

"CLOUD! What did I tell ya before about keeping a low profile!? And hear ya are, starting fights on the train, you damn fool! You could've got us caught for sure!" snapped Barret, clearly enraged and shaking with anger.

"Well, luckily no one did notice anything, did they? So what's the problem? Are you saying that I should have just left this young lady to be raped by thugs or something?" asked Cloud, evenly. Barret was still fuming, unaware yet that Aeris was still watching them.

"Don't you go telling me that you'd fight for a complete stranger just because she's in trouble, you don't give a damn about no one but yourself! You just WANT us to get caught by Shinra, don't ya, ya damn traitor! We're almost got found out from the train guards because of YOU! And if it hadn't been for Jessie doing some quick thinking about a distraction, we would have been caught, you bastard!" roared Barret.

Becoming angry himself, Cloud was about to reply furiously, when the train suddenly started to slow down, and it was clear that they were about to reach the train station. Biggs came running into the compartment from the next one.

"Barret, the train's about to arrive at the station. We should get ready to leave now quickly, before we get stuck on this train. By the way, the plan worked perfectly, while Cloud was fighting over here, me and the others paid these thieves and other dodgy looking guys to cause a big enough distraction to keep the train guards' attention away from Cloud or us. It cost us a whole lot of money to convince them to do it, and I'm not exactly sure how they distracted the train guards or how they're gonna avoid being arrested, but the plan seemed to work all the same. The guards didn't notice anything from us because of them, and not even the thieves and other guys suspected anything close to the truth about us either," explained Biggs, looking annoyed about the loss of their money. Barret nodded, both relieved and enraged at the same time, as he shot a nasty glare at Cloud, before looking back at Biggs.

"Understood, Biggs, good work from all of ya. Now you and the others make sure you all get ready, and then I'll follow you guys outta here soon, just leave the train now. And split up and leave separately, so as to make you guys look less noticeable or suspicious," ordered Barret.

Biggs nodded and saluted, as he then headed back out into the other compartment, while Barret turned back to glare at Cloud again, looking absolutely lived and boiling with pure anger, but before another argument could break out, Aeris spoke up quietly, looking at Barret.

"Please sir, this man did save my life from those thugs back there, and I'm sure he acted with the best intentions, or I would have been…" said Aeris, trailing off as she lowered her gaze to the floor.

Barret realised that she had just heard everything they had said, and cursed himself for forgetting to keep quiet while she was still there. This could only mean one thing. She knew now exactly who they were, and he quickly tried to think of a way to sort out the possible mess it might cause.

"Yeah, I guess that's true. But now you've probably figured out who we are, don't ya?" said Barret, curiously and a little tensely as well. Aeris hesitated, and then she nodded slowly, her eyes wide with surprise and slight horror.

"Well in that case, can I just ask ya to…?" began Barret, nervously, knowing that she now held the key to exposing them, but Aeris quickly interrupted him.

"To keep your identities all secret?" asked Aeris, looking both deep in thought and uncertain as well. Barret nodded, looking rather grim. Aeris hesitated for a long moment, thinking it all through, before looking at Cloud and smiling at him for a moment, as she came to a decision.

"Sure thing, you secret's safe with me. I owe this man at least that much," said Aeris, glancing at Cloud, and giving him a warm, grateful smile. Cloud felt that strange feeling inside him yet again, to his puzzlement and annoyance.

"Good, then you got lucky this time, you spiky-headed moron, but don't you screw up again, or else you're gonna pay of it. I'll make damn sure of that. Now come on, let's get going, this is our stop," said Barret, feeling thoroughly relieved and angry, as he left the passenger compartment. 

But despite all the trouble it had caused though, Barret found that he was glad that Cloud had saved Aeris; she seemed like a really nice person. Aeris turned back to face Cloud, clearly deep in thought, but she still beamed at him.

"Thanks again for you help. I truly hope that we can meet again," said Aeris, smiling with gratitude, her emerald green eyes sparkling happily.

Cloud nodded at her, gave a small wave, and headed out of the compartment to the next one, where the others were waiting, and for a moment, Cloud was silent in his own thoughts of what had happened back there.

The train then arrived at the Sector 7 Slums, pulled into its station and came to an abrupt screeching halt, filling the air with clouds of steam and dust.

Shaking his head and coughing, the train guard opened the door and watched as all the passengers, including AVALANCHE (though he never suspected them), as they all burst out from the train door from the inside, and ran home.

"Get over here, all of ya!" shouted Barret. Barret called the team together, and they gathered around the streetlight, just out of earshot from everyone else. Cloud, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all gathered around Barret, waiting and listening for what he had to say.

"Okay everyone, we did very good at the Reactor. We all made it back, after a job well done that'll teach those losers in Shinra that we mean business! This mission was a success, but don't any of ya get lazy now. The hard part's still to come! Don't any of ya be scared of that explosion, because the next one's gonna be even bigger than that! Everyone, split up and meet back at the hideout! Move out!" ordered Barret.

They all scattered and split up, and Cloud wandered after the AVALANCHE members as they ran back to their hideout, which Cloud knew was at the Seventh Haven bar. Looking up, Cloud saw the Sector 7 Pillar nearby, towering high above the Slums of Sector 7, supporting and holding up the section of the huge steel Plate that was above the Sector 7 Slums, and below the upper city of Sector 7.

It was about fifty metres high if he remembered correctly what Jessie had told him back on the train. If the Pillar had ever collapsed, and the part of the Plate above Sector 7 fell as a result, everyone and everything in the Sector 7 Slums would be crushed and destroyed instantly, and the Sector 7 upper city also destroyed. It was as simple as that.

Midgar was a very dangerous place to live in, especially in the Slums, but for most people in the lower cities (the Slums), it was simply all that they could afford. On top of the Plate in the upper cities, however, it was a very different story. Men and women up there, working for Shinra Incorporated, all lived in aristocracy, disgusted by the people living below them.

They often referred to them as 'The Slum Scum', and there had been many incidents in the Shinra Times of petrol bombs being dropped down in an attempt to 'cleanse' the city. Not that the media could be trusted, since Shinra owned even all the media in the world. 

Shinra would simply twist all the papers and television stations to their advantage, trying to successfully brainwash everyone into thinking that they were essentially the Planet's very salvation.

But the real terrible truth of the whole matter, known only to Shinra themselves and to AVALANCHE of course, was that Shinra Incorporated were actually none other than the Planet's very executioners…


	6. 7th Heaven: Childhood Promise

_Chapter 6_ _Childhood Promise___

Cloud walked along the Slums of Sector 7 for a while, following the AVALANCHE rebel group back over to their secret hideout, until they arrived at Tifa's Seventh Haven, which was the only bar in the Sector 7 Slums, but it was also well-known as by far the best bar in the Slums of Midgar. It was a highly popular and successful bar indeed.

Without warning, Barret charged straight into the bar at Sector 7, and he fired warning shots from his gun-arm in the bar to scare all the other people out of the bar, pretending that he was there to rob it. The customers all instantly ran out of the bar, all of them terrified and screaming in fear.

Biggs, Wedge and Jessie then all walked into the now empty bar as Barret burst out of the main doors of Tifa's Seventh Haven, to the outside of the bar, and he guarded the entrance, keeping a sharp and suspicious look out. 

Cloud ran over to the bar, and he quickly walked up to Barret, who was still cautiously standing guard in front of it, and quickly noticed Cloud coming, as he frantically gestured for him to hurry over.

"Hey Cloud, get ya damn spiky ass over here! Come on in, and get inside already! We can't have too many people noticing us around here. Now go on ahead, move it!" ordered Barret, sharply, and he stepped aside, letting Cloud walk past to go to the bar, and then he stepped back in front of the bar and continued to guard the entrance.

Cloud swung open the front doors of the bar, and was immediately hit with the strong smell of alcohol. The bar smelt as though it had been full of smoke a moment ago, and there was an old radio playing soothing guitar songs.

There were three makeshift tables littered around the room, each with a set of four small crates to sit on. An old rusty pinball machine was pushed up against the right-hand wall, with an 'Out Of Order' sign attached to it. Its lights no longer flashed and the speakers no longer played the repetitive arcade music or irritating beeps and buzzes that they used to.

Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were all drinking and eating at the closest table to the left of the door. Biggs was drinking plenty of beer, Wedge was eating plenty of food, while Jessie seemed to have already finished, despite the fact it seemed like that she hadn't eaten or drunk much.

A little girl was at the counter. She was only four years old, wore a pink shirt and skirt with a yellow tie, and she had chestnut brown hair, and eyes that were just as brown. She quickly ran out of the counter in a panic when she saw Cloud, not knowing him and clearly having a fear for strangers, and she hid in a corner at the far right of the bar, trembling.

"Oh that's Marlene, Barret's daughter," said Biggs, glancing at Cloud, noticing Cloud's perplexed and bewildered look, which turned into a look of shock and disbelief after hearing Biggs' short explanation.

"(Barret's daughter!? Barret has a child!? Good god, that's something I never imagined from Barret…being a father. But by going up against Shinra, he's putting his own daughter's life at risk too, doesn't he at least realise that? There's something strange about this though…they really don't look one bit alike…)" thought Cloud, rather confused and surprised by the whole subject, but he soon snapped out of his thoughts, as he saw a very familiar and very welcome sight.

A slim and beautiful young woman, who was surprisingly both the bartender and landlord of the Seventh Haven bar, ran out of the counter after Barret's daughter, walked over to the little girl and said softly as if trying to sooth her, "Marlene, aren't you going to say anything to Cloud? It's okay, don't be worried, he's a good friend of mine. He won't hurt you, I promise."

This young woman was twenty years old, had long, shiny, beautiful black hair that always shone, the end of her hair wrapped up in a red hair band, and made the end of her hair look the same shape as a fishtail.

She had big, beautiful and extremely attractive brown eyes that made often caught Cloud's gaze whenever he looked at them on her flawless face, and she wore a white shirt with a black skirt and red trainers. She also wore black and red fighting gloves with hard metal knuckles on them.

Her name was Tifa Lockhart, and she was the owner of this pub. Tifa and Cloud had both known each other ever since they were little, since they were born and lived in the same town, and they were best friends back then and now.

Tifa was a year younger than Cloud, but she acted far more caring and considerate towards others (which especially included Cloud) and she often tried to cheer everyone up when they were feeling down as well. 

And despite himself, Cloud really did care for Tifa, more than anything else, and he was a lot more considerate towards her than with anyone else, feeling a strong attraction to her that he didn't want to admit.

Tifa's Seventh Heaven was the best bar in lower Midgar, and the only one in the Sector 7 Slums. Tifa was very beautiful and attractive, therefore she had many admirers, especially among her customers, and it was a main reason why she had so many in the bar, although Tifa would never admit that she was beautiful, since she was far too shy about it, although even Cloud would have admitted that she definitely was.

Tifa was the one who had suggested and persuaded to Cloud that he should join AVALANCHE to help with the mission on Mako Reactor N01. Cloud would have flatly refused such a suggestion if it had come from anyone else, but he felt that he could hardly deny Tifa anything, he simply cared for her too much not to. Tifa walked up to Cloud, with a wide smile on her face, with Marlene hiding behind her.

"Welcome home, Cloud. Long time no see. It looks like everything went well. I'm really glad to see that you're safe. You could hear and see the Reactor explosion all the way from down here in the Slums. How did the mission go? Did you fight with Barret?" asked Tifa, curiously.

"Yeah…but we weren't at each other throats if that's what you mean, Tifa. Not exactly, anyway, but we did come close several times," replied Cloud, with a shrug. Tifa looked intensely relieved to hear that, and sighed.

"(I'm not surprised if Barret did seem rude or unfriendly to Cloud, he doesn't really trust any strangers, especially people who had experience with Shinra. At least Cloud didn't lose his temper with him, or anger Barret even more. Plenty of problems would happen…and then Cloud would be leaving…going far away…and I can't let that happen. Somehow, someway…I'm not going to let Cloud leave my sight, and I've got to try and get him and Barret to understand how important that is to me…without telling them why…)" thought Tifa, anxiously, but she quickly snapped out of her thoughts, in case Cloud suspected something, and she spoke up.

"Yes, I should have known there would be some problems between you both. He's always pushing people around, and yelling at them all the time, and you've been in fights at the drop of a hat ever since you were little, but now it seems like you've really grown up. But I was still worried something bad might happen to you guys. I'm just so glad that everyone's safe," said Tifa, smiling warmly.

Tifa then spotted the flower sticking out from Cloud's pocket that Aeris had given Cloud in the Sector 8 upper city earlier, and she gasped softly in surprise, her beautiful brown eyes widening slightly.

"Oh, a flower for me? How beautiful…Cloud, you shouldn't have. I love flowers, but you almost never see any flowers here at all in the Slums these days," said Tifa, smiling. Cloud was taken aback, but thought of this as a sudden plus.

"N-No big deal," stammered Cloud, embarrassed, and he handed the flower to Tifa, his heart beating strangely when he saw the big smile that lit up on her face, as she gazed at the flower, which was indeed surprisingly beautiful.

"Oh, thank you so much, Cloud. It looks and smells wonderful. Maybe I should fill the whole bar with flowers some day…oh, and I'm sorry about Marlene's scare, Cloud. She's just a little shy and she misses her father," said Tifa.

"It's no problem, Tifa. Barret's just outside the entrance here. Is there anywhere in here where I can stay the night?" asked Cloud, curiously, feeling suddenly drained and tired from the effort that the Reactor mission had required.

"Sure thing, you're always welcome to stay, any time you want, Cloud. You can sleep on the floor below, where the secret hideout is. I'm sure the others won't mind about it. Well…Barret might disagree at least, but I'm sure I can convince him to let you rest there for the night," replied Tifa, confidently, and Cloud nodded in gratitude.

"Thanks, Tifa," said Cloud, and he walked over to Biggs, Wedge and Jessie. Biggs was still drinking pints of beer and getting drunk in the process, Wedge was now eating his fourth helping of food, and Jessie was just sitting down at the table, with her arms crossed, and seemed to be in deep thought. The silence was broken when Biggs started to hiccup, but he was still drinking more beer anyway.

"Ah, there's just nothing quite like a good drink after a tough job. Hey, why don't you have one too? Unless you're telling me you're too good to drink with me? You want a drink or not?" asked Biggs, slightly drunk, turning to Cloud.

"Alright then, sure. Why not?" replied Cloud, with a shrug, feeling suddenly thirsty for a drink after all the effort that the Mako Reactor N0.1 mission had required for the success of the first plan against Shinra. Biggs cheered drunkenly in response, which Cloud raised his eyebrows at.

"Oh yeah, now that's more like it! Even if you were with SOLDIER once, you're still a rookie around here, so you have to listen to whatever I tell ya! Try not to act so bigheaded just because you were with SOLDIER. Oh…and uh…don't tell Barret what I just said…" said Biggs, as he let out another loud hiccup, looking a little dazed. 

Cloud quickly decided that maybe it was wiser not to have that drink after all. Wedge spoke up to him next, while still helping himself to more food.

"Hey Cloud, Tifa really knows how to cook, her food's always delicious. Anyways, let me tell you something for a moment," said Wedge.

"About what?" asked Cloud, shortly, looking indifferent, and wondering when he was going to finally receive his money, but Wedge answered him anyway.

"About this place. Tifa always lets me taste her cooking, and just look at me now. I'm roly-poly as a result of it. I don't know whether I should be happy or sad about that part, but it's all the good food and drinks here that make this bar famous," said Wedge, as he continued to help himself to yet another helping of food, while Cloud just stood in the middle of the pub, looking both bored and impatient. Tifa smiled proudly from the received praise, but remained deep in thought.

"(I'm so glad the bar's been so successful, I really tried hard to get my life back on track with it. Then Barret and the others showed up, and they quickly became regular customers of the pub. I soon became good friends with them, and when they revealed their plans to go up against Shinra, I agreed to it, joined them, and even helped them build a secret floor below the bar as their hideout. And then a few years later…after all the preparations…Cloud showed up, and I managed to convince him into going on the mission. But there's something strange about him now…after all these years since I last saw him…and I've got to convince him to stay somehow…so I can get to the bottom of it,)" thought Tifa, determinedly.

"Careless, you lot are all getting too excited after that one mission. And I wonder what for…? Just because that mission was successful doesn't mean the others will be, you know. Hey Wedge, stop making such a mess!" said Jessie, irritably, as Wedge's plates of food nearly covered the whole table.

Wedge muttered a quick apology, and sorted the mess out a bit, before he went back to eating, as Jessie still sat in deep thought at the table.

"(Were our actions at the Reactor really the right thing to do…? So many people died because of it…because of our own actions. And even then, Shinra would do the same thing to stop us as well…although there's no way we can bring down Shinra with so small a group like us…maybe the only thing we're really doing is making the lives of innocent citizens here even worse, not better…)" thought Jessie, grimly.

"Jessie, what have you done to your leg?" asked Tifa, noticing it was bandaged. Jessie snapped out of her train of thought, and just shrugged.

"Oh, it's nothing serious. I just sprained my leg when I fell on the bridge just as the Reactor was going to blow up. Luckily, Cloud ran back just in time to save me before the explosion," explained Jessie, glancing over at Cloud and smiling at him with clear gratitude.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Cloud, uncomfortably, and a little irritably as well. His days in SOLDIER had awarded him with very little experience with women, and he generally found them quite difficult and at times annoying to understand. Jessie shrugged, but she didn't remove her gaze from Cloud, staring at him with interest.

"Just...watching you, that's all. Wondering why such a gentle, good-natured guy like you would become a SOLDIER and then be a hired mercenary," replied Jessie, with a half sarcastic, half curious tone in her voice, not taking her eyes off Cloud's face.

"I'm not entirely sure myself. But when I came to Midgar recently, I just…had the strange feeling or instinct that I already was a mercenary. In SOLDIER, I was just another one of Shinra's hired people, after all. So maybe by leaving them and becoming a mercenary, I'm just trying to broaden my customer base," said Cloud, shrugging. 

Jessie nodded, looking thoughtful, as Cloud turned away and kept silent, lost in his own thoughts. Just then, Barret barged back into the bar, bursting through the front doors, satisfied that no one else was getting into the bar. Seeing him at once, Marlene squealed in excitement and glee, and she ran up to Barret, and hugged his legs tightly. Barret smiled warmly down at Marlene, as she looked up at him.

"Papa, welcome home!" greeted Marlene, a wide grin spread across her face. Barret smiled at her and crouched down, gently picking up Marlene, and he carefully sat her on his right shoulder, so that she wouldn't fall off, and tickled her a little. Marlene laughed gleefully.

"Hey there, little lady, what have you been doing while I was gone, eh? Not been giving Tifa any trouble, have ya?" asked Barret, smiling.

Cloud quickly noticed that whenever Barret was with Marlene, his daughter, his intense frustration and anger seemed to completely evaporate into nothing at once.

Marlene giggled and blushed, not answering, but she kicked and squealed with glee as Barret bounced her around playfully on his shoulders. Cloud held back the urge to snicker, and held back his surprise. This was definitely one side of Barret he had never of imagined him to be capable of.

Barret was Marlene's father despite the fact they didn't look one bit alike, as Marlene was every bit as white as Barret was black, but he and the others knew that Barret was still Marlene's father anyway. Anyone could tell that the two of them were simply inseparable as father and daughter.

"Hey, welcome back, it's nice to see that you're safe. Are you alright, Barret?" asked Tifa, curiously, with some concern, as she walked over to greet him. Noticing Tifa, Barret grinned broadly at her, in triumph.

"I feel great, we damn well conquered against Shinra tonight! Never felt better in years, Tifa! Did you see the news on the Reactor explosion yet? At last we made it safely back here, and with a destroyed Mako Reactor far behind us, and Shinra feeling humiliated and beaten for once! And as for the rest of ya, come on and get in here, ya fools! We're starting the meeting, alright!?" shouted Barret.

Barret walked over to the out of order pinball machine, with Marlene still perched safely on his shoulder, and he hit what Cloud assumed was a secret button cleverly hidden on the side of the pinball machine. 

With a mechanical rattle, the machine lowered into the floor and revealed it was now a secret elevator. Barret and Marlene went down into the basement using the pinball machine as an elevator.

"Let's go," said Jessie, as she stood up to follow Barret down the floor below, and Biggs and Wedge both went to follow as well. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie followed Barret and Marlene down to the secret floor. 

Cloud stood still however, watching Tifa intently, gazing at her as she walked around the room. Despite the fact that they had grown up together in the same hometown, Cloud still couldn't believe how independent and beautiful she had now become since then. Cloud walked over to Tifa, who had just walked back behind the counter, smiling warmly at him.

"Hey Cloud, sit down for a minute, I'd like to talk to you for a moment. How about something to drink?" asked Tifa, politely. Cloud sat down, facing Tifa, and shrugged.

"Sure, why not then? Give me something hard, though, I think I'll need it," replied Cloud. Tifa giggled in amusement at the comment, which Cloud raised his eyebrows at.

"Just a minute, I'll make one for you," said Tifa. Chuckling, Tifa spun around and fixed one of her specials for him, placing it down onto the table. 

Cloud snatched the drink off the napkin and swallowed half of it down in one gulp. He realised he was even more worn than he had thought. 

Tifa sat back down straight in front of him behind the counter, staring at Cloud with a big smile that made Cloud froze. He took another gulp of the drink, swallowing it all down quickly, as Tifa watched him with interest.

"Wow…now this is a real drink," said Cloud, rather impressed, admitting to himself that Wedge was certainly right about the drinks and food in the bar after all.

"You like it?" asked Tifa, smiling, delighted.

"Yeah, this is great. Not had a drink like this since years ago," said Cloud, with a shrug. Tifa blushed and smiled at the compliment, and quickly spoke back up.

"Thanks, Cloud. You know…I really am relieved that you made it back safely. I'm so glad that you're alright," said Tifa, smiling happily. Cloud peered at her through the bottom of his glass and raised an eyebrow.

"Huh…? Just what's up with you all of a sudden, Tifa? That wasn't even all that much of a tough job," said Cloud, surprised and a little taken aback. Tifa sighed wearily.

"No…I guess I can understand how it really wasn't a difficult mission for someone as experienced and skilled at combat as you, Cloud. You were in SOLDIER, after all. But just make sure you get your pay from Barret, you deserve your payment all the same," said Tifa.

"Don't worry about it, I'll get the full payment that's owed to me. And once I do get my money, I'm out of here," said Cloud, confidently. 

Tifa frowned in clear disappointment at this, looking rather downcast at his words, but said nothing, and she was then staring at Cloud in concern.

"Cloud, are you feeling alright?" asked Tifa, clearly worried about something for a strange reason that Cloud couldn't see at all, and it baffled him. But Tifa felt that she had to know for sure whether or not he was truly alright.

"Huh…? Yeah, why? What do you mean?" asked Cloud, rather bewildered, as Tifa seemed more and more worried and concerned about him than he thought was even necessary. Tifa hesitated for a moment, looking clearly uncomfortable, before she finally replied.

"I'm not sure…lately, since we met each other again, it just seems like…you don't seem like yourself anymore…like how you were back then. It seems as if you're more…distant, far away…no, never mind, just about forget it, Cloud. I'm probably worried for no reason anyway…maybe it's just because you look a little tired, I guess. Besides, you'd better go down below to the others, before Barret gets mad. His patience has never been one of his strongest virtues," said Tifa, with forced calm, choosing to change the subject.

"Yeah, I guess so," replied Cloud, shrugging, still sensing that something was wrong, but he decided to let the subject drop for now. It wouldn't matter later anyway, after he left the dark city of Midgar far behind. Tifa spoke up again.

"You know…I do really feel sorry for Barret at times, he's always having to go off and leave Marlene here, while he's away on his missions, and that really does dwell on his mind a lot too," said Tifa, solemnly. 

Cloud shrugged coldly, feeling no sympathy or concern whatsoever for the big black man with the gun-arm, who had distrusted and irritated him greatly during the mission at the Mako Reactor N0.1.

"Well, Tifa, he's the one who chose the type of life he wanted to lead, so it's no one's fault but his own, if he's missing his daughter because of it," said Cloud, looking cold and indifferent. Tifa stared thoughtfully for a moment, seeing his point on the subject.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But anyway, I think you'd better go down below now, Cloud. I'll try and speak to you again later, but right now I think Barret would want to discuss some things with you first," said Tifa. Cloud nodded and turned away, then he noticed that Tifa was now suddenly staring at him in surprise.

"What's up now, Tifa?" asked Cloud, bewildered.

"Oh, sorry Cloud, I…I thought I just noticed something strange for a moment there…" said Tifa, with a start.

"What are you looking at?" asked Cloud, confused.

"Your…your eyes are, well…a little…different from how I remember them back in Nibelheim," said Tifa, blushing slightly, and Cloud understood what she meant at once.

"Oh, you mean the added colour and the strange glow to them? That's a common side effect from being infused with Mako energy, which is a basic but important part of SOLDIER training. You have to be Mako infused in order to be in SOLDIER," explained Cloud.

"They inject you with Mako?" asked Tifa, rather startled.

"It's really no big deal, Tifa. The process of it is simple and painless as long as it's done carefully," said Cloud, with an indifferent shrug. But Tifa wanted to know more.

"So, just how WAS life in SOLDIER?" asked Tifa.

"A lot of hard work. Anyway, like you said, I'd better get going. Thanks for the drink," said Cloud, turning away. Tifa nodded, as Cloud walked over to the pinball machine, and he pushed the secret button hidden on the side of it, as he had seen Barret do earlier, to go down to the secret floor.

The pinball machine started to move down to the secret floor, and Cloud suddenly noticed that Tifa was staring after him intently behind the counter until Cloud was out of sight, and then as he arrived at the secret floor, he looked around.

Barret was using a punching bag in the far left corner of the room, punching it hard several times as fast as he could with his only fist, resulting in a loud bang in each blow.

Marlene was sitting on a crate nearby him, admiring her father's brute strength with clear awe, while Wedge and Biggs were sitting at the only table in the whole room (Biggs was still hiccupping), and Jessie was working hard on her computer, next to a big television set, typing in notes very quickly and not making one mistake. 

Suddenly, the news came on the TV and a fairly fat man in a rather posh and tidy red suit with a cigar in his mouth suddenly appeared on the screen.

"(The President of Shinra Incorporated himself. I met him before once…and if he's on the news, then it's definitely about what happened to the Reactor. He must already know exactly what's been going on…)" thought Cloud, darkly.

"Hey guys, President Shinra is on!" informed Biggs, and at once everyone looked towards the television. The group all crowded around the TV to watch, listening intently as President Shinra began his speech.

"Citizens of Midgar, tonight the Mako Reactor N01, in between Sectors 8 and 1, was bombed and destroyed as part of terrorist activity, and much of the upper city of Sector 8 was also destroyed as a result. I can confirm to you all that the AVALANCHE terrorist group have indeed come forward and claimed full responsibility for the bombing of the Reactor. The total number of casualties is high, and current counts stand in the hundreds, and are likely to rise even higher as our search for survivors goes on. But citizens of Midgar, I assure you all that there is no need to fear from these scumbags. I promise you all that there will be immediate action from us; we have already dispatched SOLDIER into all the upper cities on patrol to find these terrorists, so that they can suffer the full power of the law and of justice. Please co-operate with us by showing your ID when asked for it, anyone who refuses to show ID will be arrested as suspected terrorists. Let us all unite and hopefully restore the Sector 8 upper city from the rubble of the fallen Reactor," said President Shinra.

With that the pictured died out amidst camera clicks and sound whistles. The group turned away from the TV, all of them knowing full well that with that sort of speech, President Shinra was guaranteed to have the public on his side and against AVALANCHE. 

The public didn't know the effect the Reactors had on the Planet, and as a result of that, President Shinra could effectively claim that AVALANCHE was merely aiming to cause death and destruction, and the general public, ignorant and vulnerable to manipulation, would believe AVALANCHE were simply nothing more than vile, evil terrorists, when in truth it was really Shinra who were the evil ones, and the ones who posed the real threat to the lives of all those who lived on the whole Planet.

"(Damn those Shinra bastards and their President! They don't really care about the citizens, they just want us dead before we can destroy all the Reactors and stop them making a damn fortune for those assholes! They'll pay for turning the public against us, the truth will come out, and then we'll see if Shinra get the same sort of support from anyone!)" thought Barret, angry and furious. 

He turned back to face the punching bag, pounding it hard and repeatedly with his remaining fist, letting all his frustration with Shinra out on it, while Marlene watched him in awe, she clearly looked up to her father a lot. Wedge sat at the table in silence and deep thought, thinking about the speech that President Shinra had just said.

"(Things will certainly be getting a lot harder from now on, now that Shinra know what we're capable of. At least they don't know where the hideout is, but when we go on other missions against them, they'll be waiting for us. And now SOLDIER have been dispatched…definitely not good. I don't even want to think about what would happen if we ran into any of those guys…)" thought Wedge, with a shudder, knowing how powerful and feared any member of SOLDIER was. He knew Cloud was once one of them, so he had to know more about them.

"Hey Cloud, after that news broadcast just now, do you think that being I'm a little too uptight about it, if I was to say its really got me nervous, and scared shitless? I mean, should I really be that worried if SOLDIER come and attack us? After all, you should know a lot about them, right?" asked Wedge, curiously. Cloud just shrugged, wondering why Wedge always seemed to want his opinion on everything.

"Yeah, you should be more than a bit worried about them, I guess. SOLDIER are always a severe threat to the lives of anyone who crosses them or goes against them in any sort of way. So it's best to be alert and prepared for them before they can kill you off for good," replied Cloud. Wedge nodded in understanding, and choose to focus on the mission, not wanting to dwell on the threat of SOLDIER any further.

"We've already discussed and agreed that the next mission will be to blow up the Mako Reactor N0.5, in between Sectors 4 and 5. Cloud, it would really be great if you could join us for this mission, we could really use your help, with your skill and bravely in combat. Don't you ever get nervous in those sorts of situations at all? Or are you like, impervious to feelings…? Nah, that couldn't be it, I'm just being silly. Well, I guess it's okay if you don't come on the mission, you've got your own things to do, I guess, and you don't really owe us any loyalty anyway, so I'd understand if you didn't come. Anyway, don't worry about me if I seem too nervous. I may not look like it, but I'm a coward at heart," said Wedge, laughing slightly.

Jessie was still busy working and typing on her computer very quickly, but she was making no mistakes or errors at all despite that. Jessie was also watching the news on the TV next to her computer at the same time as she was working, doing both things at once.

"(Wow, what an explosion the bomb caused. Biggs must really have worked hard on it to ensure it really did destroy the whole Reactor. I'm glad I got all its settings right too, that really helped out,)" thought Jessie, as she spoke up to Cloud.

"Hey, just look at the news. What a blast we caused tonight, huh? Think that was all because of our bomb? But all I really did with it was just program the settings on it like the computer told me. Before we went to the Reactor, I thought I might have made a miscalculation somewhere, thought I might make a mistake that would cost us the mission, but it looks like I really did do it right after all, I'm really glad to know that I am cut out to be AVALANCHE'S technical expert after all. And hey, that was our very first bomb's debut. Makes me kind of proud to know I got the settings of it right the first time…" said Jessie, smiling proudly.

Barret suddenly stopped punching his punching bag, and he then turned to face Cloud, looking sweaty faced and slightly breathless, as a sudden thought struck him.

"Hey, Cloud! There's something important I want to ask ya for a moment. Was there anyone from SOLDIER fighting us earlier today, at the Mako Reactor, at any point of the mission?" asked Barret, curiously. Cloud thought on it for a while, before firmly shaking his head.

"There were none of them at any point of the Reactor, none during the whole mission. I'm completely positive that there weren't any," replied Cloud, flatly.

"Well, you sure do sound pretty damn sure about it," said Barret, with clear suspicion in his tone of voice, pounding his punching bag hard with a single punch with his only fist. Cloud frowned at him.

"I didn't mean it like I was previously informed by a certain outside source, if that's what you're thinking, Barret. I'm just know that there was no one from SOLDIER, because if there HAD been anyone from SOLDIER in the Reactor, neither you or any of us would be standing here right now. They're from the Shinra Public Safety Maintenance Corps, lead by Heidegger, top army commander of Shinra. They're Shinra's most elite fighting force," explained Cloud. Barret snorted scornfully.

"Hey, don't you dare go on just thinking that you're all so stronger and better than the rest of us, just because you were in SOLDIER at one damn point, or just because ya were working for Shinra," said Barret, sharply.

Barret suddenly stepped forward and tried to punch Cloud in clear frustration, but Biggs then got up from the table and tried to restrain Barret. Cloud made no reaction or response to this, completely unconcerned. 

Barret irritably punched Biggs out the way, and Biggs landed hard on the floor, groaning dizzily, and now everyone else in the room were looking on what seemed to be just the tip of an argument that was about to come up. Barret just stood still, and he looked hard at Cloud.

"Yeah, you are damn well strong, I'll give ya that. Probably all them guys in SOLDIER are too, but don't you dare forget for one bloody moment that ya skinny damn ass is working for AVALANCHE now! So don't you get any ideas about hanging on to Shinra!" snapped Barret, sharply. At this last comment, Cloud looked sharply at Barret, and snarled angrily.

"Staying with Shinra!? Look, how long is it going to take for you to realise through that thick skull of yours that I'm not a part of Shinra anymore. Those bastards betrayed me, and I'm certainly not going to crawl back to them after all this time. You just asked me a question about them, and I just answered it, that's all. Anyway, I'm going back upstairs, I want to talk about my money," said Cloud, getting angrier.

"Money shouldn't matter! It's the Planet that's important!" shouted Barret.

"Yeah, whatever, nice excuse, Barret. Now where's my money?" asked Cloud, sharply.

"Talking like that won't get ya nowhere. I'll give ya damn money to ya upstairs in just a minute. Now just go up there, and after ya get the damn money, get lost! We're discussing about the next mission to blow up the Mako Reactor N0.5!" shouted Barret.

"Alright then, fine. I'm not here to discuss anything with you lot, I just want what's owed to me, that's all. And I wanted to leave this stupid rebel group as soon as possible anyway," replied Cloud, coldly, as he spat bitterly on the floor.

"What was that?" growled Barret, angrily; a sharp edge to his tone of voice, but for once, his own rage was completely overshadowed by Cloud's intense anger.

"I'm here to get my money, so give it to me right NOW, or I'll just take it myself," said Cloud, his voice icy, glaring hard and menacingly at Barret, one of his hands grabbing the hilt of his sword in its metal locks behind his back.

"Cloud, I thought that you were going to continue to work with us…" said Jessie, looking somewhat disappointed, but Biggs and Wedge didn't look surprised at all, they had expected it would happen, but all of them looked nervously at Cloud and Barret, each of them fearing that the argument between the two was about to turn very ugly indeed.

Before any fight could break out, however, the pinball machine suddenly came back down and Tifa arrived, leaped off the pinball machine, and she ran over to Cloud and Barret, looking stricken. 

She had heard the whole thing from above them in the bar, and she stood in front of Cloud and between him and Barret, with a pleading look in her beautiful brown eyes and a worried look on her face. Cloud slowly released the hold on his sword hilt, but his rage was far from gone.

"Wait Cloud, please just listen! I know Barret shouldn't have said all of that, but don't let it get the better of you! Please don't leave, not yet, please," protested Tifa, her eyes clearly pleading with him.

"(Damn it! Why does she have to be so damn stubborn about this!? Can't she just let me go, already!? Can't she see that neither me nor anybody else wants me around here in the first place!? There's no bloody way I'm risking my life going up against Shinra for these guys!)" thought Cloud, annoyed.

"Don't even bother to try and stop him, Tifa! Just let him go, he ain't wanted around here, and he don't want nothing to do with us neither! Looks like he obviously still misses doing the dirty work for Shinra!" shouted Barret, with a snort, and a short, nasty laugh.

A look of intense rage flashed across Cloud's face, as he clenched his fists tightly, and looked around again at Barret. All of AVALANCHE was staring in amazement at Cloud and Barret, who both seemed to be on the verge of killing each other at a moment's notice. It was Cloud who was by far the angriest though, as his fury finally snapped, startling even Barret.

"YOU SHUT UP THE HELL UP!! What the heck would you know, you stupid thick headed bastard!? For the last time, I don't give a DAMN at all about Shinra OR SOLDIER!! But don't any of you get me wrong, don't think that means I'm concerned with you people!! Because I couldn't give any less of a damn about AVALANCHE OR the Planet either!!" roared Cloud, angrily, taking everyone aback, even Barret. Barret turned away and started punching his punching bag again, pretending to take no more notice of Cloud now.

"Papa, you're so great," said Marlene, sleepily, sitting nearby him, who seemed to have been asleep through the whole thing, and had only just woken up.

Barret seemed to calm down slightly at that and grinned at Marlene, while still punching his punching bag with his only fist, still ignoring Cloud. Tifa looked desperately back at Cloud, who still looked completely furious.

"Please Cloud, I'm begging you, straighten things up with everyone, for me," said Tifa, pleadingly, turning to face Cloud, with a desperate expression on her face. Before Cloud could answer her however, to flatly refuse her request, Wedge spoke up to him first.

"Cloud, you say you don't care about us or anyone else, but you still came to talk to me earlier, didn't you? Cloud, you just want friends, isn't that right?" asked Wedge.

"Just blow off," muttered Cloud, fuming, still feeling furious and angry from the argument with Barret. Wedge took no offence from Cloud's comment, knowing full well that he said that just because he was angry.

"Yeah well, try to deny it if it makes you feel any better, but you do still look kind of lonely to me, Cloud. If you've got anything that you want to talk about at all, then you can always talk to me. There's no need to act so cold-blooded and distant all the time," said Wedge. 

Cloud didn't answer him, while Tifa quickly gave Wedge a grateful look, while she then thought desperately of a way she could get Cloud to stay in AVALANCHE, a way of persuading him to join willingly.

Jessie, meanwhile, was talking to herself while she was working out things on the computer, apparently choosing to ignore both Cloud and Barret, acting as though the argument hadn't even happened.

"Money required for the next mission…? Oh my, it must have to be a lot of it…well sure, what the heck, it's a verbal agreement! Now let me just figure these payments out…" said Jessie, as she worked out calculations on her computer, not noticing Cloud storm off from Tifa and the others, as he used the pinball machine to go back upstairs to the bar.

Alarmed as she saw Cloud go on the pinball machine elevator up to the bar, Tifa quickly rushed over to him, but she was too late as the elevator had already gone up, and she would have to wait until it was back down. She would have to hurry to make it up to the bar before Cloud could leave after sorting out his stuff.

Having no choice but to wait for the elevator to come back down, Tifa spun around to look at Barret, who was still hitting the punching bag with his only fist as hard as possible, not even making the slightest attempt to stop Cloud or even apologize to for his appalling behaviour towards him.

Suddenly, for the very first time as she looked at Barret, Tifa felt a great surge of sudden rage and fury towards him, which quickly overcame her.

After all the help she had given Barret and the others in their plight, was this how he repaid her? To deny the only thing she had ever asked for in return?

Filled with sudden anger, Tifa walked slowly over to Barret, looking extremely menacing indeed, her fists tightly clenched, and she stopped right behind him. 

Barret didn't notice her until she tapped him on the shoulder. Stopping what he was doing, Barret turned to face her, with an irritable look on his face as he began to speak, but the words died in his throat.

His eyes widened as he saw the dangerous, completely enraged expression on her face that neither he nor the others had even remotely seen before, and he felt suddenly very nervous, despite himself. What happened next was even more unexpected, far more unexpected, as Tifa drew back her hand and swung it at him. SMACK!!!!! 

Tifa had slapped Barret hard across the face with all the strength she could muster, which despite her appearance, was a great deal indeed. Barret staggered, looking shell-shocked as he fell to the floor from the sudden impact, his face feeling as though it was on fire, and it was busied from where he had been slapped.

Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all stared at her in complete shock, and even Marlene looked absolutely stunned, her mouth hanging open. Barret looked up at her from the floor, not angry, but utterly shocked and confused.

"Tifa, what…?" gasped Barret, simply speechless. He had never seen Tifa in this mood before, the two of them had always got on really well with each other. Barret had never got angry with her, and she hadn't been annoyed with him at all, but this was very different indeed, something completely unforeseen by him or the others.

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm angry about, Barret! You've been on Cloud's case ever since you've met him, and only because he was ONCE in SOLDIER. It's not as if his entire life revolves around them, you know! The Cloud I knew would never mindlessly follow anyone like that! And hear you're acting as if he's a puppet who can't think independently from them, well he CAN! And if he really was with Shinra, why would they have him blow up one of their own Reactors!? And why would they have tried to kill him all those times there too!? Now I'm going to try to persuade Cloud to stay, and if he leaves because of you, if you don't apologize for your unjust actions, then you're not getting any more help from me, and I know you can't do it without ME and MY bar!" snapped Tifa.

"You…you can't, Tifa…you can't quit on us now, we ain't got anywhere else to go around here. This place is the only hideout there is for us. Without it, we're as good as dead against Shinra…" said Barret, nervously, knowing full well that he'd really crossed the line this time, and he truly felt guilty and sorry for his earlier actions now.

"Oh, can't I!? For the past few years, I've let you all have a comfortable place to live in, a place with all the food and drink you could want for a living in Midgar, and I even set up a secret hideout for you and the others to organise your plans against Shinra too, and I even took good care of Marlene for you when you guys were out too! I gave you all these things, and I've never asked for anything in return, until recently when Cloud showed up, and I thought I was at least owed this one single favour, to let Cloud, my childhood friend, join AVALANCHE. But apparently, you don't seem to think I deserve any favours, so I don't see why I'm continuing to help you out. Now I'm going back after Cloud, and if I can persuade him to stay, then do NOT be so nasty to him from now on, or unfairly accuse him of anything, or you can say goodbye to this hideout and my help," said Tifa, coldly, as she stormed off to the pinball machine, which had just lowered down to the floor.

Looking guilty and stricken, Barret quickly got himself off the floor, and ran towards the pinball machine but it had already just gone, with Tifa on it, up to the bar. 

Barret cursed himself, and slammed his only fist hard on the wall, a look of sorrow and guilt on his face, but all he could do now was to wait for the pinball machine elevator to come back down, while the others only stared in shock at what had just happened.

Once the pinball machine elevator had went back up to the bar, Tifa saw that Cloud had gotten all this stuff sorted out ready to leave, and he was just about to storm out the front door in a bad mood.

Wasting no time, Tifa quickly jumped off the pinball machine elevator, and walked over to him. Cloud didn't have to turn around to know that it was Tifa standing behind him, but he spun around to face her anyway.

"(Why the heck doesn't she just let me go already? We both know that I'm not staying around here for good, so why can't she just move on and accept it?)" thought Cloud, feeling irritated by it. Tifa stopped just in front of Cloud, and held onto his arm desperately. Cloud looked at her, surprised.

"Listen, Cloud. Please go back down there and make it up to everyone. I'm asking you, no, I'm begging you. Please join us, join us to fight against Shinra for the Planet's life. Don't go, not yet," said Tifa, pleadingly. Cloud firmly shook his head in response, refusing to give in.

"I'm sorry, Tifa, but I just can't stay here. I'm leaving this whole place at once, far away from here. I have unfinished business outside of Midgar. Besides, none of you can possibly afford to pay my rates if I stay on," replied Cloud. Tifa still looked both stubborn and desperate, though not angry.

"We WILL manage it, Cloud, we can pay your money for each mission. I'll offer extra gil towards your pay. Besides, the Planet itself is DYING, Cloud. Slowly but surely…it's dying…and someone HAS to do something to help it," said Tifa.

"So then, why don't you just let Barret and his buddies do something about it? As far as I'm concerned, the Planet's survival has got nothing to do with me whatsoever. Anyway, I'll give you a straight forward address where you can send my full payment to me later by post, if Barret's still unwilling to pay up at the moment," said Cloud, with a snort. Tifa ignored this though, and still held onto his arm tightly, but now she seemed to be getting angry.

"So you're really just leaving here without another word then!? You're just going to walk right out of here like this, ignoring your childhood friend, turning your back on me like I'm just nothing to you!?" screamed Tifa, hysterically.

Cloud was very taken aback indeed, his eyes wide and his cool composure actually broken for once, but he knew that he could never find it within himself to get angry with Tifa, and he just stared back at her, stunned, as she tried hard to calm down, but she still looked urgently at Cloud, who finally spoke up after a long, speechless silence.

"What…? Just how can you say that? I'm sorry, Tifa, but you can't use that as an argument here. I've got my own things to attend to, and my own life to get on with. I don't ever intend to walk out on you at all, but I don't want to stay here against my will where I'm just ordered around mindlessly and treated unfairly, like how it was back with Shinra," said Cloud. 

Tifa's expression softened considerably, and she clearly understood his point, but she still had to try and persuade him to stay, not just for her own good, but for his as well, and for the sake of the Planet itself.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you like that, Cloud…but you've got to understand that everyone and everything in this Planet is going to just wither away eventually unless we do something to stop it, and AVALANCHE is too small to take on Shinra alone, we really need your help. If not for the Planet, then for me, Cloud, please…unless of course you forgot about the promise we made together…" said Tifa, softly, her head bowed sadly.

"Promise…? What promise…?" asked Cloud, confused and bewildered, her last statement not ringing any bells in his head at all. Tifa looked stunned and rather hurt indeed to hear that, as if she had just been stabbed in the heart.

Cloud felt suddenly guilty for causing such a reaction from her, as Tifa finally spoke up again, her voice trembling as she clearly struggled to fight back against tears that fought to come out from her beautiful brown eyes.

"So then…you really DID forget about our promise after all…but after all this time…after the years since I'd last seen you before recently, I…I had still hoped you would still remember what happened that night. Don't you remember anything about it at all, Cloud? It was seven years ago, just a few weeks before you left for Midgar. We were alone together at the well at Nibelheim…don't you remember…?" asked Tifa, with a sad tone in her voice.

Cloud paused in deep silent thought, thinking intently back to the many days of his childhood that he had spent with Tifa in their hometown, Nibelheim, trying urgently to remember the memory that seemed so very important to Tifa, and apparently to himself as well.

At last, he finally nodded as the memory fully came back to him, along with a warm, peaceful emotion that came from remembering it, a feeling he hadn't really felt much since after that time. He remembered it all only too well, and could not believe he could ever have forgotten it.

"Yeah, I remember it all now, the promise we made…what had happened that night…back then, before you arrived, I…I thought that you would never come, and I was getting a little cold waiting for you there on the well," said Cloud, thinking back intently to that moment. 

Now fully calmed down and feeling more positive and a little less desperate, Tifa stood with a radiant smile of hope and joy on her face, but did not speak or make a sound, letting Cloud think back to that moment.

It was seven years ago, Cloud Strife was sitting at the top of the well waiting for Tifa Lockhart to come, and it was night at a town far away from Midgar. Cloud's mind flashed back to that scene as he remembered it…

_Stars twinkled brightly in the moonlit night sky, as they shone down on the well in the centre of the town of Nibelheim, bathing it in moonlight. Two children met secretly that night, alone together. A boy and a girl. Tifa quietly sneaked out of her house, successfully managing not to wake up her father, and she spotted a boy sitting on the well._

_"Cloud…?" asked Tifa, staring up at him._

_"I'm up here, Tifa. On the water tower," replied Cloud, looking back down at her. Tifa looked up at the young blonde spiky haired boy sitting up on the town's ancient water tower, which had been in the town for as long as anyone in the town could remember. _

_The well didn't even really work anymore, it was simply just kept around as a part of the town's history. She climbed up the well, and sat right next to Cloud on it, who tried his hardest not to gape at her, as her long black hair shone brightly in the moonlight, along with her beautiful brown eyes, and the shining turquoise coloured dress she was wearing._

_"I'm sorry I'm late, Cloud. I got a little held up trying to sneak out of the house without waking my father. Luckily, he didn't even notice me leave the house," said Tifa, with a sly, mischievous grin. Cloud looked at her and smiled._

_"Don't worry about it. At least you came," said Cloud._

_ "What are you doing out here like this, anyway?" asked Tifa, in concern. She looked at him closely. He was wearing just a black t-shirt and green shorts, and he was clearly shivering from the cold night wind._

_"I was just waiting here for you, so I could get the chance talk to you alone, about something that's important to me," replied Cloud. Tifa looked at him curiously._

_"You wanted to talk to me here about something important? Well then, what is it, Cloud?" asked Tifa, curiously, moving closer to him until the side of their legs touched. _

_Trying his best to ignore the excitable feeling he felt as they touched, Cloud nodded in response to Tifa, a determined and resolved expression on his face, as he began to speak up, and Tifa listened intently._

_ "Soon in a few weeks, come this spring, I'm moving away and leaving this town by myself, and I'm heading over to the great city of Midgar," said Cloud, with fierce determination. Tifa sighed sadly, her head bowed, and a disappointed frown came to her face._

_"All the boys are leaving our town these days, since Shinra Incorporated expanded into more and more different markets and businesses. My father says that there's a lot more available jobs out there at Midgar now than there is over here," said Tifa, looking rather solemn. Cloud firmly shook his head._

_"But I'm not like that, I'm going to be different from all of the others who left for Midgar, Tifa. I'm not just going over to Midgar to find any old job. I'm going to work for Shinra Incorporated, but unlike the others…I want to join SOLDIER, to become a great member of their ranks someday! I'm going to be the best there is, just like the great hero and legend of SOLDIER, Sephiroth!" declared Cloud._

_Sephiroth, the legendary hero and conqueror of the war between Shinra Incorporated and the nation of Wutai, was a man very well known everywhere, and that included even small towns like Nibelheim, and in big cities, like Midgar or Junon._

_Among the elite fighters in SOLDIER, Sephiroth was known to be the very best of the best of the best. He had no equal anywhere in the world, with no one even coming the slightest bit close to rivalling his awesome powers._

_Several stories and rumours claimed that Sephiroth had never bled in his whole life, in a life full of intense battles, and yet he never shed any tears for the many people that he had killed during the war._

_Every young ambitious boy in the world with a dream wanted to be just like him, but only very few people had ever seen him anywhere, and even fewer people, if anyone, knew about his personal life._

_Legends say that many years ago, a master craftsman from Wutai forged Sephiroth's great curved and famous sword, the Masumane, the most powerful and greatest hand-held weapon on the entire Planet itself, being able to slice through anything at all with little effort. The craftsmen was believed to have folded the metal exactly one thousand times with a magic hammer using special silver from the mines._

_Other stories claimed the sword was, in fact, an actual extension of the great Sephiroth himself. The Masumane was well known everywhere as the most powerful hand-held weapon and sword on the whole Planet, and it was a very fearsome site for any enemy to come across, even to the very bravest and most loyal of men. Even the monsters, savage and bloodthirsty, feared Sephiroth intensely, avoiding him like the plague._

_No one had ever survived when up against Sephiroth and his Masumane sword. Only Sephiroth himself could use and master the sword, since he was the only one on the whole Planet itself with enough power and strength to handle the Masumane. Anyone else who tried could not even lift it off the ground, where as Sephiroth handled it with deadly ease, speed and force, and with little effort required._

_Some people claimed that Sephiroth was an one-winged angel in disguise, while others instead claimed that he was the devil himself in hiding. But whatever Sephiroth was, he was unbelievably powerful, and there was absolutely no doubt about that among anyone. VERY, VERY powerful indeed. Tifa snapped out of her astounded thoughts as she finally spoke up._

_"…Sephiroth…the great Sephiroth. But, Cloud…isn't it supposed to be really hard to join SOLDIER? I hear that it's the most powerful army in the entire world, after all, so joining their ranks is really going be a tough thing to do, you know," said Tifa, uncertainly. Cloud nodded in agreement, looking deadly serious and very determined._

_"Yeah, I know it's not gonna be easy, but I'll train real hard to get into the ranks of SOLDIER someday. But to do so, I probably won't be able to come back to this town for a fair while," admitted Cloud._

_Cloud truly felt a little regretful at that last part, but his resolve was still firmly set and decided. But at his words, Tifa was suddenly upset and depressed, and she suddenly buried her face in her hands, and Cloud thought he could hear her sobbing slightly._

_"Huh…? Tifa, what is it?" asked Cloud, surprised and astonished, as he put his arm around her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her._

_"Will you be in the newspapers if you do well?" asked Tifa, looking back up at him, but still looking depressed. Cloud hadn't really given that sort of thing much thought, but he answered her anyway._

_"I don't know, but I might. I'll just have to try," replied Cloud, with a shrug. Tifa then smiled and cheered up suddenly as if a sudden idea had just came to her that comforted and pleased her._

_"Hey Cloud, I think I've got a good idea about this. Why don't the two of us make a promise to each other from this moment on? If you get famous…and if I'm ever in trouble…then you'll come and save me, right?" said Tifa, hopefully, smiling at Cloud, who looked astonished._

_"Huh…? Just what do you mean by that, Tifa…?" asked Cloud, speechless, even more surprised than before. Tifa sighed softly, and explained it to him patiently._

_"Whenever I'm in any kind of trouble or danger, whenever my life is under threat, I'd like my hero, my knight in shining armour, to come and rescue me. I want to at least experience that moment once, Cloud. And there's no other person I want to be my hero, other than you," explained Tifa, softly, staring intently into Cloud's astounded blue eyes._

_"What…?" gasped Cloud, trying to keep his heart from leaping into his throat, as it was beating very hard indeed. He could hardly believe this was happening as he gazed back at Tifa, who looked hopefully at him._

_"Come on, Cloud! Promise me! Cloud, promise me that you'll be my hero, that you'll come to save my life at least once, if I'm ever in trouble," said Tifa, smiling so happily at Cloud that he froze for a moment, and his heart was beating so hard against his chest it was painful. _

_There was only one answer he was ever going to give her, because he wanted her to be happy, and because deep down, he really did like the idea of being HER hero…_

_"Okay then, Tifa, I'll do it…I promise," said Cloud, nodding back at her, and he knew that from this moment on, he would never break his promise to her. He knew he would keep it until the very end._

_Tifa smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling happily, as she took his hand, and laid her head down on his shoulder, with Cloud's arm still around her, as the two of them embraced. They held each other's hands, and continued to look up at the stars together as a shooting star flew past the night sky. After about five or ten minutes, Tifa finally spoke up again._

_"As beautiful a night this is Cloud, and however much I really want to stay out here with you for the rest of it, I think I'd better get going back to my house now, just to be safe. In case my father notices I'm out here, he wouldn't be too pleased," said Tifa, with a sigh of soft regret, as she looked up at the night sky, and Cloud nodded to show he understood, as they released each other from their embrace._

_ "Sure, it's no problem, Tifa. I'm glad you could come in the first place, anyway. I think I'd better be going back too, before my mother gets worried sick about me. She's really concerned about my decision to leave Nibelheim for Midgar, but she's accepted it as my decision for a future," explained Cloud._

_ "Well, you're lucky then. My dad certainly wouldn't be as understanding as that…just letting me go off somewhere alone to start a new life at my age. I really do hope you fulfil your dream and get into SOLDIER, Cloud," said Tifa, sincerely._

_ "I'll certainly try. Anyway, good night, Tifa," said Cloud, as Tifa smiled at him and the two of them gazed at each other, still sitting together on the well._

_ "Good night, Cloud," said Tifa, softly, as their heads drew closer to each other, and their eyes closed as their lips touched for the first time, which then resulted in ten seconds of them kissing, before Tifa broke away and smiled happily at Cloud, as she jumped off the well, walking off to her house._

_ "Hey, Tifa! About that promise…" said Cloud, calling after her from the well, and Tifa stopped and spun around to look at him curiously, grinning from ear to ear, her beautiful brown eyes sparkling._

_ "Yes, what about it, Cloud…?" asked Tifa, curiously._

_ "I AM going to keep it, and I WILL fulfil the promise some day, no matter what happens," said Cloud, determinedly. Tifa smiled happily at him, and nodded._

_ "I know you will, Cloud. I'll see you tomorrow," said Tifa, as she walked off and went into her house, glancing back at him once and smiling, before going in. _

_Cloud leaped off the well, and headed back to his own house, feeling now far happier and more confident than he'd felt for quite a while, as the stars and moon still shone brightly in the night sky…_

Fully remembering the exact moment of their promise now, Cloud focused his mind back to the present, in the middle of the Sector 7 bar, as he stared back at Tifa, who was holding onto his arm and staring up at him. 

Cloud knew where this conversation was going, and he felt uneasy about it. He knew he was about to be cornered into joining AVALANCHE, and he wouldn't have the heart to refuse Tifa's request, it would mean breaking their promise, which meant so much to her, even now. Cloud wondered whether he could think of a way to get around this, a way to get himself out of this mess. He'd really done it to himself this time.

"You remember it all now, don't you, Cloud? Our promise?" said Tifa, her beautiful brown eyes sparkling, a big smile on her flawless face, as she looked happily at Cloud, with some clear expectance and a sense of triumph.

Cloud gaped and stared back at her for a moment without a sound, then he barely managed, with all his willpower, just to get himself to look away from her penetrating, beautiful gaze, and he sighed wearily.

"I'm not a hero to anyone, in any sense of the word, and I never have been. And I'm not famous like Sephiroth was either, not by a long shot, and I never came anywhere near close to his skills and power. And you're not in any immediate or serious trouble at the moment either. I just…I can't keep the promise, Tifa…" said Cloud. Tifa stubbornly shook her head.

"But even if you're not all those things, you still fulfilled your childhood dream, didn't you, Cloud? You joined SOLDIER, just like you wanted, and you promised to come save me if I needed you help when you became a member of their ranks. So come on, Cloud, you've still got to keep your promise, please," pleaded Tifa, desperately.

"No, Tifa, I can't. I'm still not a hero, or powerful, or famous, and besides, I'm not even in SOLDIER anymore, so that part doesn't really matter anymore either. So, I can't keep the promise. I'm sorry…" said Cloud, solemnly.

"That's not the point, Cloud, and you know it! AVALANCHE needs you! I need you! The Planet needs you! We're going to bomb another Reactor tomorrow, and after what happened earlier today, security will be much tighter than before, it'll take a miracle to pull of this time. We won't be able to do it without you, it would be impossible for us to accomplish without your help. Cloud, the Planet is DYING! And we're the only ones who both know and care enough about the Planet's situation to do something about it!" protested Tifa.

Tifa suddenly looked depressed and upset, and she was on the verge of tears. Cloud could see tears building up in her eyes, and he felt suddenly guilty and ashamed of himself, and knew he was unfairly backing out on the promise. Tifa was in serious trouble, and he knew it, yet he was still trying to back out on her. How could he ever bring himself to do that…?

Just then, the pinball machine elevator suddenly came back up to the bar, and Barret quickly leaped off it with a loud thud on the floor, and walked over to Cloud and Tifa.

Barret looked apologetically at Tifa for a reason that Cloud didn't know or understand, but Tifa smiled reassuringly back at Barret in return, though she was still on the verge of tears, and then Barret turned to face Cloud.

Judging by the look on his black skinned face, Barret had overheard everything Cloud and Tifa had said from downstairs, as had Biggs, Wedge, Jessie and Marlene as well. Barret looked angry and furious with Cloud, though this time, his anger had nothing to do with Shinra.

"Now you wait here just a damn second, mister big time Ex-SOLDIER! You sure got a lot of nerve, backing down on your own promise like that! No matter what happens, a promise is a promise, and you always gotta keep it, whether you like it or not! And I, for one, am a man of my word. So here's your full payment, as I promised you before the mission," said Barret, as he tossed Cloud a tightly closed pouch with exactly one and a half thousand gil inside it, as they had agreed.

Cloud caught the pouch with one hand, looked through its contents, and then, satisfied, he turned to leave the bar. Cloud started to go out the door, when he looked back, and he saw that Tifa stood there looking utterly defeated and on the verge of breaking down completely, tears running down her cheeks, as her body began to shake in grief. Cloud felt guilty and overwhelmingly concerned for Tifa, and he just couldn't bear to leave her in this miserable state.

Maybe he couldn't keep the promise, but he could never make Tifa upset either without doing anything to make her feel better, he could never bring himself to just walk out the door and leave her like this. 

He thought more about Barret's words, 'A promise is a promise', and then realized with a sense of truth and defeat that Barret was right, and he had to keep the promise no matter what he had to do for it, whether he liked it or not. 

This meant that he would have to stay with AVALANCHE for Tifa's sake…but then again, if he really did have to stay until the end, he thought he might as use make good financial use of it while he was here. So he walked back to Tifa and Barret, and suddenly grinned, holding up his pouch of money.

"So this is it, then? This is my full payment, Barret? Don't make me laugh; this amount of money won't be worth crap to me. If I really have to do this Reactor bombing thing again to get extra payments, then so be it," said Cloud. Tifa's tear filled eyes widened and a big smile lit up on her face, as her beautiful brown eyes sparkled with delight.

"What!? Then you're going to…after all…!" squeaked Tifa, unable to bring any other words out, as she was clearly excited, hardly daring to believe it, as she hastily wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"And what if I might want ya to work for me again too, huh? What if I might require your services again?" asked Barret, trying to sound indifferent about it, but he had to admit that he could really use the Ex-SOLDIER's help on a permanent basis.

"Alright then, you and the others already got the next mission lined up and planned out, Barret? I'll do it, but only if the fee for the mission rises and doubles to three thousand Gil from now on," said Cloud, firmly. Barret's eyes widened and he tightened his one remaining fist in anger.

"WHAT!!!?" roared Barret, angrily, so loudly that it seemed he could probably be heard from above the Plate of Midgar itself, as he punched and smashed one of the bar chairs into wooden pieces with his one fist in anger and frustration. Tifa walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, try to calm down. It's okay, it's okay, Barret. We're really hurting for help against Shinra, right? We really do need Cloud's full help to face up to them. He's one of the very best mercenaries around, and you know it. And his vast information on Shinra, as a former member of them, will be vital to our struggle against them too," whispered Tifa.

"That money's not just for the bombs, ID cards, or other stuff we need for the missions, Tifa. It's also gonna be for Marlene's schooling too," whispered Barret, angrily. Barret then turned back to face Cloud, thinking to himself for a moment, and he finally answered, looking very annoyed.

"Alright then, I'll raise your payment to two thousand Gil from now on, for each mission that you help out on! But that's only for the sake of this Planet! You got that!?" shouted Barret, sharply, then turned away after Cloud nodded his agreement in response, as Barret muttered angrily to himself. Tifa walked up to Cloud, smiling.

"Thanks, Cloud," said Tifa, smiling gratefully, looking very happy and delighted, and then she kissed Cloud on the cheek in gratitude and joy, and hugged him tightly.

Cloud felt rather awkward but pleased all the same, as he returned the embrace, and then after a while, Tifa broke the embrace and smiled at him, as Cloud turned away and walked onto the pinball machine, going back down to the secret hideout floor, a strange feeling inside his chest.


	7. 7th Heaven: The Morning After

_Chapter 7_ _The Morning After___

The next day came only a few hours later, as Cloud awoke in early morning, as he knew he would have to. He had been sleeping on the secret floor in the middle of the hideout, and he got up, yawning sleepily. He hadn't gotten much sleep, but he knew that he would just have to deal with that. 

He went back up to the bar using the pinball machine elevator, then leaped off the machine as it reached the bar. Tifa and Barret were both already awake and waiting for him in the middle of the bar, and Marlene was at the counter, busy mixing drinks and checking the till.

        Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were nowhere to be seen, but Cloud assumed that they were just getting preparations ready for the next Reactor mission. Tifa walked over to Cloud and spoke up to him.

"Good morning, Cloud, I'm glad to see that you're up and awake. Did you manage to sleep well enough to be alert for the mission later on?" asked Tifa, cheerfully, a big smile still on her flawless face. She was still clearly delighted about the fact that Cloud was staying after all.

        Cloud thought about replying by saying something to her like, "Next to you, who wouldn't sleep well?" but decided against it, since he didn't know how she might react to such a comment, and since it never happened anyway, it would cause only awkwardness and confusion, so he said the truth about his sleep instead.

"Huh, sleep...? No, I didn't really get a whole lot of it, as Barret's damn snoring kept me up for hours," replied Cloud, yawning. Barret glared over at him, but didn't take much notice for once. Tifa lowered her voice to a whisper.

"Just please try to keep it down, Cloud, or he'll hear you, so try not to annoy him. You might have already noticed this yourself, but Barret's always really edgy before and during a mission. Oh, and by the way, I'll be coming along on the mission too this time," whispered Tifa. Barret nodded in agreement and he spoke up, getting Cloud's attention.

"By the way, in case Jessie or any of the others ain't told ya about it yet, our primary target for today is the Mako Reactor N05. We're gonna be attacking it and beginning the mission as soon as we get there. We're gonna head over to the station first, of course. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie will already be on the train before us. I'll fill you all in on the mission once we're inside the train. But before we go to the next mission though, I've got something I want to ask ya, Cloud. I, uh...I don't really know how to use Materia at all, as I've had no experience with it, so could ya just please teach me how to use it? From what I seen in the last mission, that stuff could really come in handy against Shinra if we could all harness it," said Barret. Cloud shook his head and snorted.

"You just wouldn't be able to understand it, Barret. I don't want to have to spend all day talking about shiny magic rocks when I have much better things to do with my time," replied Cloud, coldly.

Shinra Incorporated continuously sucked out Mako energy from deep within the ground with each of their Mako Reactors, but converting Mako into vast useable electricity wasn't the only thing that Reactors were designed to do. Within these Reactors were Mako energy compression devices designed to compress Mako energy. Mako was compressed into solid crystalline forms called Materia.

These brightly colored orbs were for a variety of different things. It was found that when used properly, they could allow the user to cast magic spells. Green Materia (the spell-casting type) were the most commonly seen and used type of all.

It was also discovered that Materia formed naturally too, but only in certain places, such as caves mostly, and Mako fountains. But what most impressed people about this was the fact that naturally formed Materia had far greater abilities than man-made Materia.

Some of the abilities (the most common kind) were bolts of lightning, flames of fire, and icicles of ice. The Materia, it seemed, could manipulate environmental conditions. Once this was discovered, people realized they would be able to sell Materia and make huge amounts of money.

And so, Materia selling became a new business from all over the world. Shop owners would search for naturally formed Materia and sell it for a reasonable price. 

There were even Materia experts and scientists who discovered it was possible to predict the abilities of Materia simply by looking at them.

However, using Materia wasn't an easy thing to do. Not everyone was able to use it. You had to have a fair amount of mental discipline and something called a high life force.

Not everyone understood exactly what this meant, but they found that if they practiced enough, they could train themselves to use Materia. Not very well at first. The abilities started off limited, but soon progressed.

For the most part, all members of SOLDIER were highly trained to use Materia. It was a required and highly important part of their basic training. But in order to make Materia more efficient, they didn't own one at a time, nor did they simply carry it with them.

Instead, all of their weapons and armor were fitted with slots that were specially designed to tightly hold the orbs of Materia, yet the Materia could also be flexibly removed from the slots, when that action was needed. The slots were generally concealed in armlets around the wrists, or on handles in swords, or on the side of guns, or on plenty of other weapons.

Eventually, most people in the whole world, even the citizens and townspeople, had a certain Materia of some kind, and some people had plenty of them in stock, particularly soldiers and warriors in Shinra Incorporated, as well as the items and weapons stores that sold them. Carrying Materia with you had quickly become just as common as carrying a weapon with you as well.

        "(Stupid damn Ex-SOLDIER, how the hell would he know if I could understand it or not, if he ain't said a damn word about it!? And it's tough shit if he doesn't feeling like explaining it, I'm the boss around here, and he better do what I say, if he wants his damn pay!)" thought Barret, angrily.

        Barret was fuming with indignant fury at Cloud's response, at his refusal to explain anything, and Tifa could only look on nervously, as Barret then snapped out at Cloud, who looked unconcerned.

        "So this is what makes all them guys in SOLDIER think they're so much greater than everyone else, huh!? By being all so damn cocky, and thinking that they can call all the shots over everyone else? Well guess what, ya damn big shot, you ain't the boss around here, I am! And that means if you expect any of ya money, you better listen to whatever I tell ya! Now, I'm giving you an order to explain about Materia, so DO it, or you're gonna have your pay cut!" snapped Barret, sharply. Cloud mentally cursed to himself.

        "(Damn it, he's got me there. There's no way I'm not receiving my full payment for this mission, if I've really got to stay around here in AVALANCHE to keep the promise I made to Tifa…back then. And Barret knows that too, so that gives him the advantage of giving me any order he likes, and I'll have no choice but to obey it. I'll just have to teach him the basics about Materia then. I just hope he's not thick when it comes to learning about this too,)" thought Cloud, as he sighed wearily and spoke up.

        "Alright, fine then, I'll tell you, Barret, but I'll only explain the basics, as it will take too much time otherwise, and I think we've got more important things to do soon. It's quite simple really, as long as you are equipped with a weapon or bracelet, then you can use Materia," said Cloud.

"What, really? Just how does that work out then?" asked Barret, curiously, now listening intently to Cloud's explanation, his previous irritation completely forgotten. Cloud continued on with explaining.

        "You may have noticed that your weapon or bracelet are likely to contain holes, well what you can do is slot Materia orbs into these holes, and your weapon will secure them. Then whenever you wish to call upon the power of that Materia, just think about it, and the link between the orb and your body will establish," explained Cloud.

"So that's it then, is it? Sounds pretty simple enough to understand," said Barret, confidently, and Tifa was also listening clearly as well. 

Tifa did have more knowledge of Materia then Barret did, but she also had little or no experience went it came to actually using Materia, while Cloud, clearly experienced with Materia due to his SOLDIER training, continued on with his explanation, as he spoke up again.

        "In theory yes, it does sound easy to understand, however, you also have to consider the mind of the person who plans on using Materia. Through all of the Mako energy found within the atmosphere these days, the minds have developed the ability to link with it. However, when you first use a Materia orb, it takes a lot of effort and you will find your mind wandering easily. If you practice often enough though, you find yourself able to use it with hardly any effect on yourself, and you should then be able to fully concentrate on it easily. Also, some people are naturally better equipped to use Materia than others, so just make sure that you are capable of withstanding it the full use of it," explained Cloud.

"Thanks, Cloud, I think that's all I need to know about it for now. I'll ask Jessie more about it later, after today's Reactor mission, but since you seem to understand it the most out of this group, I'm putting you in charge of sorting out the Materia," said Barret, fully understanding Cloud's explanation, to Cloud's slight surprise.

Cloud nodded to show his acceptance to be responsible for the Materia that AVALANCHE might find, buy or use, while Tifa, who had also understood the information on Materia that Cloud had told them, spoke up to Cloud.

        "Cloud, I got a message from the weapon shop guy upstairs earlier, he says he's got something that he wants to give you, so don't forget about it. Marlene, you stay here and watch the bar while we're gone, okay? The bar will be closed and locked until we come back, but you should still be careful until we make it back here," said Tifa.

"Alright then, I will, Tifa! Good luck, Papa, take care!" said Marlene, smiling and waving for a long moment, and then she went back behind the bar to mix some drinks, a sight that Cloud found bemusing, due to the fact that Marlene was only four years old. 

Come to think of it, Cloud also found it rather strange that Barret was leaving his beloved daughter behind with no one else to watch after her.

"A little young to be doing that, isn't she?" asked Cloud, raising an eyebrow, as Marlene continued to mix drinks with some enthusiasm. Barret merely beamed at this daughter with clear pride.

        "Maybe so, but she's a real fast learner in a heck of a lot of ways, especially for her age, and she's quickly becoming the best damn bartender there is, in this whole bloody stinking Shinra-owned city. Excluding Tifa, of course," said Barret, with a board grin, and Tifa bowed gracefully in response, and was grinning as well.

With all the other preparations soon done, Cloud, Tifa and Barret walked out of the bar, and first, they walked over to the Sector 7 item shop, getting supplies that they would no doubt need for the upcoming Reactor mission. 

        They each bought a Fire Materia, an Ice Materia, a Bolt Materia and a Restore Materia. They walked out of the item shop and they all brought Materia bracelets for each of them, at the Sector 7 weapons shop, as the man at the weapon shop had wanted to give to them earlier.

After getting all of the supplies that they would need for the Reactor mission, Cloud, Barret and Tifa all headed over to the Sector 7 train station, where Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all were, and they all waited for the train that they would travel in to get to the Mako Reactor N0.5, and begin the second and next mission against Shinra Incorporated. 

Though this time, with Shinra Incorporated being much more prepared for them, none of the members of AVALANCHE had any idea at all if this next Reactor mission would lead to success, or if it would lead to death…


	8. Reactor N05: A Narrow Escape

_Chapter 8_ _A Narrow Escape___

All the six members of the AVALANCHE terrorist anti-Shinra rebel group waited quietly and patiently in the train station, until the train that they were waiting for had finally arrived at the station.

        Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all walked into the train and into the passenger car. Only one other person was there in the compartment. A man with slick black hair in a posh, tidy red suit. After seeing this man, Barret turned to face Biggs, Wedge and Jessie, looking rather stern.

"Hey, it looks like this ain't no private car at the moment, so you guys split up into the next car, while me, Tifa and Cloud stay in here. Make sure you're not overheard if ya have to discuss anything about the mission, and we'll meet ya when it's time to leave this train. You all know what to do, so get ready, we're beginning the plan soon," ordered Barret. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all saluted.

        "No problem, Barret, we're all ready and waiting to commence the mission. We've got everything all set-up and organized, so when it all begins, we'll be fully prepared for it," replied Biggs, looking confident. Barret only nodded in response, satisfied with the answer.

Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all obeyed and ran through the door at the other end of the compartment, and they all went into the next passenger car, while Cloud and Tifa stayed behind with Barret.

        The man in the posh red suit noticed Biggs, Wedge and Jessie run right past him into the next car, and he stared after them until they were out of sight, then he bowed his head and muttered quietly to himself.

"Oh great, hoodlums in here yet again, after yesterday night's commotion in the train with all those damn thieves, picking pockets and causing a big ruckus for some stupid reason. And I lost 500 gil in the process, and now those damn AVALANCHE terrorists have got Shinra getting me to do extra work. Curse those bastards, whoever they are. God, don't I just have all the bloody luck," muttered the man in the posh red suit, a sullen tone to his voice.

        The man then abruptly sat down, clearly taking no notice at all of Cloud, Barret and Tifa. Suspicious, having heard the man's muttering, though he didn't catch any words except for 'hoodlums', 'AVALANCHE', and 'Shinra', Barret quickly ran over to the other end of the car where the man in the red suit was, and spoke up sharply to him. Both Cloud and Tifa had a bad feeling that this would mean nothing good.

"Hey, you say something just then, fool? Hey asshole, don't you dare try ignoring me. I SAID, did ya just say something, huh!?" asked Barret, sharply.

The man in the red suit took no notice and dared to ignore Barret anyway, but then Barret growled angrily, with such a vicious tone in his growl that it caused the man to instantly flinch in fear, and he was now clearly trembling in terror. Barret merely sneered down at the frightened man with a rather nasty look of scorn.

"Well now, would ya have a look at that, this here train's sure gotten rather empty all of a sudden. What the hell's going on, fool?" asked Barret, with a sharp, demanding tone to his voice. Having no choice but to answer, the man looked back at Barret fearfully and stuttered a reply.

"I-Its empty b-because of g-guys like y-you always h-hanging around h-here," stammered the man in the posh red suit, shaking in fear, and he was now completely terrified, realizing he had just gone one step too far, and Cloud and Tifa both looked on uneasily, as Barret's temper flared up.

Snarling with rage at the comment, Barret suddenly punched the side of the train hard with his one fist, right beside the man, making a large, deep dent in the side of the train next to the man, making him jump in fright, and he stared at Barret in horror, now even more terrified after witnessing this display of sheer brute strength from the big black man.

"Yikes! You must surely have already seen the news broadcast, right? AVALANCHE says there will be more Reactor bombings! Only fully devoted Shinra employees like me would go up to the upper city of Midgar from the Slums to the Headquarters on a day like today," said the man.

At this, Barret's eyes widened, and he snarled and growled in anger, standing menacingly over the man in the posh red suit, who cowered in his seat, realizing that for some reason, he had just said the very wrong thing.

Barret did not like that statement at all, and showed the man just how much he disliked it by suddenly ramming his left and only fist right into the man's jaw, knocking a noticeable deal of blood from the unknown man's lip and making him yell out in clear pain.

"You're working for Shinra Incorporated!?" asked Barret, angrily, now aiming his gun-arm straight at the man, and looked as if he was just about to fire.

The man, who happened to be a Shinra manager, now was shaking more than ever, and his face was now sweating, absolutely livid with fear, some blood going down his lip where Barret had struck him.

"I won't give into violence, and I'm not giving you my seat either! Do you realize just how much damage that explosion yesterday caused? Taking into account all the lost energy in the city and all the building damage it caused, financially it must have cost Shinra around a billion Gil to have to sort out!" said the Shinra Manager, shaking more than ever. Barret looked completely indifferent towards this fact.

"Go tell someone who cares, Shinra scum," snarled Barret, just about to pull the trigger of his gun-arm, and the man would have been dead in a moment, had not Tifa, watching and alert, suddenly ran over to Barret in a flash, and stopped right in front of him, blocking his aim. Barret's hand dropped away from the trigger at once.

"No, Barret, don't! Just leave him alone! If you kill anyone here right now, especially a Shinra employee, then the whole mission...no, the whole resistance movement will fail, and all our effort will be for nothing, so just calm down! Now's just not the time, alright!?" shouted Tifa, stopping Barret from killing the Shinra manager just in time. Tifa then slowly moved away, and she walked back over to Cloud, still watching Barret anxiously over her shoulder.

Barret didn't fire his gun-arm at the Shinra Manager and reluctantly decided to spare him, seeing that Tifa was absolutely right. He glared hard and angrily at him, making the Shinra manager cower down even more. It also seemed that the Shinra manager was far too focused on his fear of Barret then to have really paid attention to Tifa's words, for which the group was miraculously lucky.

        "You damn bastard! You lucky damn bastard!" roared Barret, angrily, spit flying from his mouth onto the Shinra manager's face, and then Barret ran over to where Cloud and Tifa at the other end of the train car, as the Shinra manager cowered in his seat, not paying attention to them anymore, and they took no notice of him too.

The three of them quickly made sure that they couldn't be overheard, and then Cloud decided that now was the right time to ask about the mission.

"So, what exactly are we going to do now, then?" asked Cloud, curiously, as Barret merely snorted at him.

"Shit! Just what the hell are you so damn calm about, Ex-SOLDIER, huh? You're busting up my rhythm!" shouted Barret, looking irritable.

"Nice way to start a morning off, though. You know, with a temper like that, Barret, it's a wonder that you're still sane," joked Cloud.

Tifa chuckled, while Barret was grumbling, but he was beginning to calm down. Just then, the train started to move and began its journey to the next station at Sector 6, which would be nearby the Mako Reactor N05.

"It seems like they've completely finished connecting the train cars now, we're finally leaving the station," noted Tifa, looking very serious.

        "So then, what exactly is our next target, Barret? What's our whole plan for this mission?" asked Cloud, curiously. Barret snorted at Cloud's calm tone of voice.

"HA! Just listen to 'Mr serious about his work', over here! Hey, Mr. Know-it-all, big time Ex-SOLDIER! You ought to know the area around the Mako Reactor N05, right? So let's just hear YOUR explanation! What, can't talk about it then? Alright, I guess I'll tell ya instead. Jessie's probably already told ya, but there's a security checkpoint on this path that this train's on. It's an ID scan system that's checking all the trains and their respective passengers," explained Barret.

"Which Shinra Incorporated is very proud off, like with plenty of other things of their own creation," added Tifa. Barret nodded grimly, and continued.

"They've vastly upgraded and improved their security systems in no time after we destroyed the first Mako Reactor. And that means we can't use our fake ID'S anymore. Jessie didn't have enough time to modify the ones we have for the new security check," explained Barret, darkly. Tifa looked over at a clock on the train.

"We've only got three more minutes left to the next ID security check point. How are we getting through it?" asked Tifa, curiously, and Cloud listened intently to Barret's answer to this as well.

"Alright then, it's simple. In three minutes, we're all jumping right off this train before we reach the security checkpoint where the system is, and get off before the ID scan senses us. You all got that?" said Barret.

        "Jump off the train!? When it's moving at full speed!? And into those rough, dark and narrow tunnels!? Are you mad or something, I don't think you've really thought this through," said Cloud, incredulously.

        "Sure I have, ya damn merc! I'm the leader for goddamn sake! In fact, ironically enough, it was actually YOU who gave me this idea, when I thought back to how you'd arrived on the train last night by leaping onto its roof from a bridge. So I figure, if it's that easy to jump onto a moving train, then why not out of it too? And in the tunnels, we can find a secret way to the Reactor that's not heavily guarded by Shinra's security," explained Barret.

        "Jumping from and onto a moving train is never easy," muttered Cloud, and Barret glared at him.

        "You got any other ideas, merc? No...? Well then, just shut up and get over it already. This is the only way we can avoid getting detected by security, so we're gonna do it, ya got me!?" snarled Barret, sharply.

"Yeah, that sounds simple enough," muttered Cloud, sarcastically, with a shrug, but otherwise he said nothing else about it.

"(I guess we don't really have any other choice in the matter…and I certainly don't want to get arrested or executed by Shinra if we're caught out by security. If I'm stuck doing this stuff, then I may as well make damn sure that I get my whole payment for it all,)" thought Cloud.

Tifa nodded in understanding to Barret's plan, and Barret sat down with a thud on one of the seats and Tifa walked to the other end of the car, staring at the digital map monitor, and then she looked over at Cloud.

        "(It looks like I might just have to really watch out for any arguments between Cloud and Barret, it's a good thing I decided to come along then. As for jumping off the train, I'm not sure how I'll manage that safely, but I've still got to try it anyway. With my skills, I know I can really help out on the mission a lot, and Barret knows that too,)" thought Tifa, as she then called over to Cloud.

"Come over here, Cloud, let's look at the railway map monitor," said Tifa. Cloud shrugged, and he walked over to Tifa, seeing as how he had nothing better to do at the moment. Tifa turned to face him.

"It looks like you've seen this already. Jessie already told me. But never mind, that's alright, come a little closer," said Tifa, turning back to the digital map monitor.

Cloud inched forwards until he was almost right behind Tifa. Her long, black hair brushed gently against his arm, sending a sharp tingle up his back. Shivering, he hooked his thumbs into his pockets to stop the urge to spin her around and kiss her, but he could only barely just manage it…

Suddenly, without warning, an alarm sounded and was heard throughout the whole train, and a red light appeared and flashed all around the train as well. Tifa frowned sharply at this, startled by the sudden alarm.

"That's odd, the ID checkpoint was supposed to be further down than this. It wasn't supposed to come on this early," said Tifa, bewildered, and she turned and faced Cloud, who abruptly jumped a step backwards from her.

"I didn't do anything!" insisted Cloud. Tifa looked puzzled.

"What are you talking about? I know you wouldn't. But this just can't be right…" said Tifa, as she was beginning to look rather worried indeed.

Then, suddenly, an even bigger alarm sounded and a computerized voice was heard around the train on the intercom from the train's sound speakers.

"Unidentified train passengers are confirmed. A search of all train cars shall be conducted," informed the computerized voice, and it repeated itself before going completely quiet, leaving the loud sound of the alarms blazing in the whole train along with the flashing red security lights.

"Just what is happening around here? Why did the alarms go off this early?" asked Tifa, worried, aware that Cloud didn't have any answer. Barret quickly leaped up from his seat with a start, and he rushed over to Cloud and Tifa, looking clearly alarmed.

"Just what in the name of bloody hell's happening!? What the heck's going on!?" shouted Barret.

Suddenly, the compartment door flew open with a bang, and Jessie came frantically running through it, and quickly ran towards them, a worried and urgent look on her face.

"Barret! We're in big trouble! Come on! Somebody messed up big time, and we've been found out! Come on, I'll explain later, just hurry to the next car! Quick, get moving! They're going to lock up all the train cars! Just get to the next car now!" shouted Jessie, quickly and urgently.

"Jessie, what's going on? I thought that the Shinra ID check point was supposed to be further out than this?" asked Barret, urgently. Jessie frantically shook her head.

"I'm really sorry about this, but I'd forgotten to tell you guys that the Shinra ID security checks point have been moved forwards. Shinra moved them all after last night's bombing," explained Jessie, looking very worried. Barret darkly cursed with pure fury.

"Damn those Shinra scum! Damn them all to hell! Tifa! Cloud! We're gonna have to all jump out of this train now! Let's move!" shouted Barret. Jessie quickly ran down to the next car, while Barret was shaking in anger and frustration.

"Damn it, somebody blew it…but who…? Never mind, let's just go, keep it up!" shouted Barret, annoyed, and he, Cloud and Tifa quickly proceeded to do just that.

They all ran to the next passenger train car. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were all there in the next train compartment, waiting fearfully for them.

"Hurry!" shouted Biggs, urgently.

"They're going to lock the door, Barret!" shouted Wedge, with clear panic.

"Just run! We'll have to change the mission to Plan 2!" shouted Jessie, urgently. Barret nodded grimly in agreement, though Cloud was puzzled as to what 'Plan 2' was.

They all ran to the next car. Biggs and Wedge quickly ran to the driver's car, while Jessie stopped and waited for Cloud, Barret and Tifa in the next car. The train was longer than Cloud had first thought.

Several train cars were strung along after the first five, and pushing through a crowd of confused citizens made the trip a lot harder. He also felt several hands grab at his money, his sword, and his Materia. He beat them all of savagely, causing sharp howls of pain from the thieves, but Cloud didn't once stop, and kept going.

By the time Cloud had made it through the dining car, he had lost two hundred Gil and his fake ID card, but luckily, he lost nothing else, and neither did the others. Jessie stood in the middle of the dining car, waiting for them. Cloud, Barret and Tifa quickly ran up to her. Alarms still sounded loudly around the train, and the red lights still flashing.

"Alright then, are we clear yet, Jessie?" asked Barret, urgently. Jessie quickly shook her head in response, looking very troubled indeed.

"No, we're definitely not out of the woods yet. They're on the verge of starting another check. If we get caught and trapped up in a compartment, then we'll all be done for. But don't worry, if we keep moving up the train, car by car, then we should be able to get past it. If we keep going through the train quickly enough, then we should be able to outrun the sensors, before they can find us," explained Jessie.

Jessie ran up to the next train compartment and punched another thief (who had tried to grab at her) hard in the face on the way there, breaking his nose and knocking him unconscious instantly, his face bloody and his nose ruined. Barret turned to face Cloud and Tifa.

"Come on, we're gonna jump outta here!! Follow me!! We got a lot of battles ahead of us at the Mako Reactor, if we make it out of here, so this is gonna be tough either way," warned Barret, darkly, looking very grim and urgent indeed.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa ran along the train, quickly following Jessie. When Cloud, Barret and Tifa had arrived at the driver's car, they found that Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were each in Shinra uniforms as their disguises and the Shinra train guards were all knocked out and unconscious.

Barret ran over to the other end of the train driver's compartment, and Cloud and Tifa quickly followed him, as alarms still sounded and red lights flashed overhead.

"Alright, we made it!" said Barret, as Jessie opened a door at the side of the train, which would lead them outside, if they jumped out of it, but they had to do it while the train was still moving quickly, and jumping out of a speeding train could be a very dangerous and even fatal task indeed.

"Come on, hurry it up, let's get moving already! We're gonna dive out of here right now!!" shouted Barret, as he moved closer towards the open train door, while Wedge, who made no move towards it, spoke up in his disguise.

"Well, it looks like things were a success here after all, I was really worried about this mission going badly wrong, with this sudden situation here. You know...come to think of it, I look just like my little brother in these clothes. I wonder how everyone's doing now…" said Wedge, thoughtfully.

"Maximum security alert! Train will be stopped and all compartments will be inspected at the next station. All train doors are now to be locked down," informed a computerized voice suddenly, and repeated itself before going quiet.

"How are we going to get out of here if the doors are locked?" asked Cloud, sceptically. Jessie quickly shook her head, looking confident.

"Don't worry about it, Cloud. This is the master train car with all manual overrides active, the doors in this car aren't locked, so just leave at your own time and decision," said Jessie, reassuringly. Tifa now stood just before the open train door, and Cloud noticed that she wasn't moving.

"What's wrong, Tifa?" asked Cloud, concerned, as Tifa still hesitated just before the train door.

"It's kind of scary, isn't it? Leaping out through a train moving at full speed, into some pitch-black tunnels with rough ground. And hoping that you don't get struck by the train or the tunnel wall in the process," said Tifa, uneasily, turning to face Cloud, who just shrugged, having accepted this plan as the only way out.

"It's way too late to be saying or thinking about that right now. Why did you decided to come along, anyway?" asked Cloud, curiously. Tifa hesitated, clearly uncomfortable on the subject of that question.

        "(Should I tell him now? About what I've really been thinking a lot of since we met up again? How very different he seems now compared to how he was back then...how he seems to know things he shouldn't...and how much I feel for him...)" thought Tifa, rather troubled indeed, but after another moment's hesitation, she slowly spoke.

"Because…" began Tifa, quietly, her head bowed, but Barret interrupted her with clear impatience, before she could say anything else, to her intense relief.

"Hey, you two, there ain't no more time for any of that private chat! Let's just get going! There ain't no time to waste so do something!" shouted Barret.

Surprised that she'd forgotten the urgent situation they were in, Tifa nodded and walked towards the door leading outside of the train. Jessie turned to face Cloud.

"Hey, how do I look, Cloud? Do I look good in a Shinra uniform?" asked Jessie, curiously, in her disguise.

"You look great, just like a man," replied Cloud, with a shrug, and Jessie beamed at him.

        "Yeah! I'm so happy…I think?" said Jessie, confused for a moment, not sure whether that was really a proper compliment from Cloud or not.

Tifa stepped closer to the door leading outside the train, stared thoughtfully outside for a moment, and then she nodded, more to herself than to anyone else.

"Okay then, I've made up my mind about this whole situation now. Watch closely, I'm going to jump!!" shouted Tifa, as he leaped forwards through the door. Tifa quickly jumped out of the speeding train, and she just barely managed to land safely on the ground in the tunnels.

"You don't care if I go first? Aren't you going to come?" asked Cloud, talking to Barret, who shook his head firmly.

"A leader always stays right until the end, and never leaves until the last minute. Don't worry about me, just shut up and go! Go on and get moving! And don't go getting ya spiky ass hurt, it's only the beginning of the mission, and we're going to need ya for the whole damn thing!" yelled Barret.

Cloud just shrugged and jumped off the train, and he also managed to land safely on the ground of the tunnels, just like Tifa had a few moments earlier. Barret then turned to face Biggs, Wedge and Jessie.

"Later then! You guys take care of the rest! You've all got your orders, and this is only the beginning of this mission, so keep ya guard up. Take care of this mess here in the train, while me and the others continue along the tunnels!" ordered Barret. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all nodded and saluted in response, knowing full well what to do.

"Don't worry about us, Barret. We'll handle things here, no problem. Just hurry it up and jump off the train before you lose track of Tifa and Cloud down in the tunnels!" shouted Biggs.

"Yeah, just get going, and always remember that you can count on each of us to handle things, Barret," said Wedge, saluting proudly.

Barret nodded grimly, and quickly jumped off the train and barely managed to land safely on the ground, while Biggs, Wedge and Jessie took charge of the train, driving it to the Sector 5 train station to try and find another way to the Mako Reactor N05 as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, having managed to find each other in the tunnels, Cloud, Tifa and Barret were all on the railway line further back, and they all got up, slightly bruised, but they were alright, and further down the tunnel would be a secret way to the Mako Reactor N05 itself.


	9. Reactor N05: Mako Reactor 5

_Chapter 9_ _Mako Reactor #5___

Cloud, Barret and Tifa all had to quickly travel across the train tunnels in the railway for a while to get to the entrance that led to the Mako Reactor N05.

Finally though, there were signs of the Mako Reactor N05 being close, just a bit further down the tunnel, and they knew that they weren't too far from the Mako Reactor now. Barret breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good, so far everything's going as planned. That sure was damn well close back there on the train, though. I thought we were gonna get caught for sure. Anyways, there's a path leading to the main Reactor core that we can take if we go this way. Better not let ya guard down until we get to the Mako Reactor. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie have got everything ready for us, and they've done very good with the planning, so let's move it. The Reactor's just down this tunnel. Jessie, Biggs and Wedge will secure the entrance to the Reactor. They're waiting for us there. If there's a problem, they'll blow the whole entrance up. We'll hear that in this area, no matter where we are in it," explained Barret.

"Why didn't we all just go together to the main Reactor core in the first place, instead of splitting up into two groups like this?" asked Cloud, surprised and rather bewildered about this aspect of the plan. Barret looked at him irritably.

"Now you listen here, ya damn bloody fool! You've already made it plain enough to everyone else that you're just the hired help around here, so why worry about the plan now, when all you cared about the last time was ya damn payment?" asked Barret, sharply.

"Because me and Tifa are both involved in the Mako Reactor mission this time, and I don't want either of us to get hurt on it because of some fault with the plan," replied Cloud, firmly, and Barret nodded in acceptance.

"Alright then, I'll tell ya the basic situation here that involves the plan. We've only got one bomb left at the moment. It's not as powerful as the last one, even though I'd hoped it would be better...but it'll still be big enough to take out the whole Mako Reactor, if we use the same bombing plan we did last time, placing it right at the core. The explosion won't reach the nearby city this time, due to the bomb's less power, but the Reactor will still be completely destroyed. We can't waste this bomb over nothing. Jessie and the others are making sure we don't lose this bomb by checking the entrance first and eliminating any possible security so that we don't walk right into an ambush. Now, come on," said Barret, and continued onwards through the tunnels without another word, as Cloud and Tifa both followed.

The train tunnels were dimly lit by soft red lights that hung next to ventilation shafts. The slow, steady dripping of water was echoing through the empty steel hallways and was almost in tune with the thuds that Barret's boots made as he tromped on through the train tunnels.

Pipes of all shapes and sizes lined the whole tunnel ceiling, dripping with either freezing cold water or sizzling hot Mako energy. The tracks and walls shook as trains passed overhead and to the sides, sending the team scrambling for cover, thinking that another train would come down on them any second now from around a corner.

They then went further along the train tunnels until they came to a wall of large and painfully bright light beams blocking the path of the rest of the train tunnel in the middle of it, so that they couldn't go on any further on. Cloud studied the light beams, knowing full well what they were.

"Those light beams are Shinra's security sensors. We'd get fried if we tried to cross, or even touch it. After coming this far, only an amateur would get caught by a security sensor like this. We can't go on any further. Some plan you've got, Barret," said Cloud, with a snort.

"Shut ya damn mouth, Cloud! This weren't here yesterday. They must have added it when they changed the security checkpoints. There's gotta be another way in. Look around for something we can use to sort this thing out," said Barret.

As Cloud and Barret searched, Tifa peered down an air vent and looked inside. A rush of warm air that stank like dead souls and rotted cheese blew from the depths of the shaft, and she stepped back, waving an arm and coughing.

When she could see straight again, she grabbed the mesh wire and pulled. Tifa yelped as she was knocked back with the grate in her hands. Cloud turned around in time to see Tifa fall over with the vent cover in her hands, and grinned.

"Well, it looks like you're good for something on this mission after all," said Cloud, smugly.

Tifa snorted, and had him help her up. Barret poked a head into the shaft and looked around. As another warm gust of air blew from inside, he cursed and backed out, blinking.

"Damn, it reeks in there. Smells like raw Mako," growled Barret, irritated.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa walked towards the small hole. It did indeed have a nasty smell of raw Mako energy, Cloud quickly noticed. Tifa covered her nose from the smell.

"Hey, you don't think that this leads to the Reactor, do you? I mean that would explain the horrible smell and all," said Tifa, pointedly.

"That's one damn tiny hole. You're telling me to squeeze into that hole to get to the Reactor? You think I can squeeze down this tiny thing? No way! Cloud, What are we gonna do? There ain't no other way of getting to the Mako Reactor N05 except through here," said Barret.

"There doesn't seem to be anything inside the vent that will get us stuck down there. But it's only one way. We won't be able to get back up to these tunnels again," said Tifa.

"Then in that case, we're going down that vent," replied Cloud, firmly.

"It's one damn tiny hole, but I guess we gotta try it, don't we? But damn man, that thing sure gives me the chills," complained Barret, furiously.

Cloud and Tifa nodded and crawled down the hole, followed by Barret, who was rather reluctant to enter the hole, but he still did it anyway, knowing full well that they had no other choice.

The vent was thick with dust and was covered in spiders and insects, and Cloud, Tifa and Barret were not at all happy about these big ugly things crawling around all over them.

More than once, Tifa had to stop to swipe bugs off her arms and legs in a panic. Barret had to squeeze past every corner. He was simply too big for the vent.

Cloud, however, had little trouble since he was exactly the right size for the vent and he had almost no problem with the bugs at all.

When the shaft ended, and when they climbed out of it, there was a short series of ladders that led to the bottom-most area of the Reactor, where all the maintenance equipment, spare parts, and other such things were kept.

Wedge (back in his regular clothes and out of his disguise) was down there, poking around in boxes and whistling tunelessly when Cloud, Barret and Tifa showed up and they walked up to him, seeing him there. Wedge turned to face them, looking startled and astonished to see them there.

        "(Wow, they're all here, and it looks like none of them are hurt either, from that leap off the train. If it was me, I certainly wouldn't have had so much luck...but then again, I would have been too afraid to make the jump in the first place,)" thought Wedge, as he spoke up to Cloud and the others.

"How did you lot all get into here!?" asked Wedge, looking rather surprised.

"You might say that we just took a short cut through a vent in the tunnels. But that's not important right now," replied Barret. Wedge nodded in understanding.

"Well, at least you're all safely here at last. I'm glad to see you all made it out the train without getting hurt in the process. How did the jump feel, anyway?" asked Wedge, curiously.

"Madness, sheer madness. The floor of the tunnels is so rough after all, so jumping from a moving train like that would seem like suicide to some…oh well, never mind, we are where we needed to be anyway, and it was mostly due to luck that we were unharmed, of course. What happened with you guys?" asked Cloud.

"We were near the next train station when the check went off early. A few minutes later we all acted like we were train guards who had been attacked, they dragged us clear and made the mistake of leaving us alone. We sneaked past them and vanished into the tunnels after that, then we found a hidden passage and sneaked into here," explained Wedge.

"Clever, so have any of you guys found the correct route to the Mako Reactor?" asked Cloud, as Wedge nodded.

"You bet we have. Notice the two vents that are in this room? Well, either one of them will lead you into a small room where Jessie awaits you. There, she will give you some access cards you will need to get inside the Mako Reactor from this side. Then use the ladder on the level below where you come out and you should find yourselves on a wooden bridge where Biggs awaits you. He'll give you final hints on the tunnels around that side of the Reactor," explained Wedge.

"Thanks a lot, Wedge," said Tifa, gratefully, and Wedge nodded in response.

"Okay, wait for the others, then get outta here, and head straight back to Tifa's bar. We'll see ya all back there later as soon as this is over," ordered Barret.

"Gotcha, we'll see you back over at the hideout then," said Wedge, and then he quickly ran off.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa climbed up the ladder, and they came to a small passage and they found Jessie standing further along the passage.

She was back in her regular clothes and was out of her disguise. Jessie turned to face Cloud the moment she noticed him arrive along with Barret and Tifa.

"The Mako Reactor's this way, guys. Oh, and I…I'm sorry; the ID scan problem on the train was all my fault. I made your ID card special, so that's why it happened. I thought that I would be able to make one that would pass the new plate security check just in case...but I ruined it by not making sure it would pass the regular checkpoints first. I put my heart into making it, but I failed. I made our new cards so they would be co-coordinated with Shinra, but I could not activate all of them before we left for the train. Next time, I'll give you something more decent. I'll be back at the hideout in my research room working on it," said Jessie.

"So, Shinra's security sensors managed to detect the ID card anyway? Don't blame yourself, Jessie. I think we left at the right time with all this new security. These things just happen sometimes. There's no need to worry about it, we haven't been caught, and the mission is still going to be a success. Now then, Wedge said that there are some access cards that you had for us?" said Cloud.

"Yes, I do. This card is the one that the site manager uses to check out the Mako pools, so you will need this to breach the access tunnel. Go through that duct over there, and it will lead you to the Reactor," explained Jessie, handing each of them a small, plastic card.

"Hey, just wait a damn minute! Are you telling me that because the ID card was specially made, it couldn't pass as real?" asked Barret, suspiciously. Jessie didn't answer, her head bowed in guilt.

"Well, don't worry about it. Like Cloud said, these things just happen. Don't beat yourself up over it, Jessie. We all made it out okay anyway," said Tifa.

"Anyway Jessie, go find Wedge, then wait for Biggs, then all three of ya head back to the hideout. You three will be no longer needed here, just remember to activate the bomb at the right moment," ordered Barret.

Jessie nodded and she quickly ran off, and hurried after Wedge. Cloud, Barret and Tifa soon walked further along the passage and they climbed down another ladder leading over to another passage.

        This passage led to another ladder where Biggs was standing just nearby. He was in his regular clothes, having also got out of his disguise, and spoke up with a grin as he saw them coming.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you all made it. We're going to pull out now, but we'll meet back at the hideout. The Reactor's just down this tunnel, straight through this duct, so just be careful. I'm leaving here with the others. Cloud, we're counting on you to blow the Mako Reactor up. See you guys back at the Seventh Heaven. Good luck," said Biggs.

"Wait, what's the security around the Mako Reactor like?" asked Cloud, curiously.

"Well, Cloud, I must say that the security around here is rather light. There were no guards around here, and the light beams were recently deactivated," explained Biggs, while Tifa looked quite puzzled.

"That does seem rather odd. Did Jessie have anything to do with deactivating the light beams, then? She is our resident mechanics genius, after all," said Tifa, and Biggs just shrugged in response.

"I don't think that she came past this way. I think she somehow got into the main Shinra server from her computer and secretly deactivated the light beams so that we could get through here without being found out," explained Biggs.

"I don't like this at all, it's way too fishy. Why would there be no security around here? If anything the security would be tighter, wouldn't it?" asked Cloud, rather puzzled about it.

"Well, don't forget that Shinra don't exactly know which Mako Reactor we'll strike at next, so they've had to split their security between them. And I did say that security around here was light, but remember that we raided the front bridge of the Mako Reactor N01 last mission, so they might be sniping around there, expecting to find us over there," explained Biggs.

"That means it will be difficult to escape from this bloody place! Damn Shinra!" cursed Barret, shaking his fist angrily.

"It is a pain, I know, Barret, but there's nothing at all that we can do about it, unless you want to abandon the mission?" asked Biggs, curiously.

"Don't be stupid, Biggs! We ain't gonna pull out now, no way! Alright, you go and find the others, then the three of you pull out, there's no need for you to wait around here for us. Is Jessie ready with the remote detonation?" asked Barret.

"Yeah, she hasn't let the thought of it slip out of her head at any time whatsoever," replied Biggs, confidently.

"Good, tell her to wait for the signal of us being on the bridge, however, make sure she doesn't press the detonation until we're at the bridge gates. If that bomb goes before then, we might get caught by the explosion," explained Barret.

"Okay then, Barret, sure thing, whatever you say," replied Biggs, quickly saluting, before he obeyed and left.

Biggs then ran off, back to the other ladder and climbed back up the ladder to go back the way that Cloud, Barret and Tifa had came in.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa climbed up the other ladder, which led to some stairs and a slide leading straight to the Reactor, as they were quite high above the ground. This Mako Reactor was just as huge as the one before, with exactly the same size, appearance and the same whole structure in general. Barret looked around the place, bewildered about its similarity.

"Are we in a different Reactor or not? This Reactor looks no different from the last one!" exclaimed Barret, and then Cloud spoke up in answer.

"I have an explanation, Barret. As we all know that Shinra Incorporated are extremely rich, but they're also very greedy, and so they try to keep as much of their own money as possible. They pay their soldiers pathetic pay and do all they can to save money for themselves," explained Cloud.

"So, what's that got to do with this Reactor, Cloud?" asked Tifa, curiously.

"They pay their maintenance team to design and build the whole of Midgar, so to make sure that they work efficiently, they made Midgar's Reactors exactly the same, meaning that the crews had no excuses for failing to properly maintain it," explained Cloud. At this, Barret was fuming.

"Damn Shinra! Typical, but I expect no less from a bunch of corrupted bastards like them. Too busy counting all their ill-gotten money to even care about the people. Oh well, never mind, now they got to worry about us, don't they? So where's the main core?" asked Barret.

"Since the design of the Mako Reactor is basically the same as before, the core will probably be in the same place as last time, down that spiral stairwell just across here, and through a door at the bottom. Like I told you, this place is no different than the last one," explained Cloud, calmly.

"Right, so how the hell do we get over there anyways? We must be fifty feet high from here, and I don't fancy trying to jump all to the way to the spiral staircase. It's too far away," said Barret.

"I agree, so let's scout around here, and see what we come up with to get down there safely," said Cloud.

The three split up and scanned the area. After a while, it was Tifa who once again had found another way to get further to the Mako Reactor core.

"Cloud, I've found a way, but it's kind of risky," said Tifa, pointing to a pipe that looked like a slide that went all the way down to the ground.

"Tifa, you've gotta be kidding. You think we should slide all the way down from this height?" asked Cloud, doubtfully.

"I don't see any other way, do you?" said Tifa, evenly, turning to face Cloud curiously. Cloud shrugged and didn't answer, knowing she was right.

"Alright then, now we've got a clear route to go down there to the Reactor core! Let's go, guys," ordered Barret.

Cloud looked down the slide, which was pretty high up, and he thought of Tifa's safety, concerned for her, so he turned to face Barret.

"Hey, that's a pretty steep slide, you know. Let's try to find a rope down, so we could use…" began Cloud, but Barret interrupted him, impatiently.

"There ain't no more time for that crap, ya dumb ass! Just get going!" shouted Barret, and without warning, he abruptly shoved Cloud down the slide with his one large hand.

Yelping, Cloud slid down the slide, which was a very steep drop, flipping Cloud off the slide of it in mid air. Cloud crashed straight into hard metal and plastic boxes with a loud smacking sound and got up, and staggered back, feeling very dazed.

Cloud looked up, and he saw Tifa come down the slide, hit the end of it, leap off, and she did an amazing triple back flip into the air, and she landed back on her feet without stumbling or harming herself in the least. Tifa turned to Cloud, and grinned at him smugly from ear to ear.

Barret went down the slide, simply jumped off at the end of it and skidded to a halt behind Cloud, who was too dizzy to even glare at him.

"(I guess I didn't have to worry about Tifa, after all. I really forget how much she's grown since our childhood, how much stronger, agile and more independent she is now,)" thought Cloud, dizzily, but he recovered quickly enough.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa then walked along a path in the Reactor, until they came to a door beside some stairs. They walked through the door, jumped over a hole and climbed down a ladder, which led to another catwalk towards the main core of the Mako Reactor.

Just as they reached the catwalk, however, a loud noise from behind them forced them to turn around. A fairly large robot stood poised from behind, ready to attack at any moment's notice.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa each dived in opposite directions as the robot shot around the area with its machine guns, the bullets missing their targets as a result. The three of them each took cover behind some metal poles, but Cloud could clearly hear the machine stomping towards them.

"Listen up, I've got a plan! I can't equip any more Materia, since all my weapon and bracelet slots have been used up. Tifa, I'm going to throw you a Materia orb, so grab it and then equip it," said Cloud.

"What should I do then, Cloud?" asked Tifa, curiously, alert and listening intently to what Cloud had to say.

"Use it to summon a lightning bolt and it should fry its circuitry. Barret and I will then both attack it in full force after that," explained Cloud.

"Okay I understand, now just throw it over here, Cloud," said Tifa, urgently.

Cloud picked up the Materia from a slot in his large sword, and he threw it over to Tifa, praying that she would catch it, since there would be no other chance. She caught it with only one hand with ease, and placed it in one of the slots in her fighting glove weapon.

Green light burst from the ground beneath Tifa's feet as she grasped the Materia slotted in her glove, and it glowed brightly at once. A bolt of lightning appeared from above them, and struck the robot hard, destroying its circuitry and completely disabling it.

Barret leapt out and had his assault gun-arm fire dozens of bullets at the metal robot in front of him, causing the machine to topple forwards and giving it many dents and holes in its metal armour.

Cloud dashed out from behind it and slashed his sword straight through the middle of the machine, slicing it right in half, as the bottom half toppled over the edge off the catwalk and fell into the boiling Mako pit below, melting there at once, on impact.

Summoning up the Materia again, green light burst from the ground at Tifa's feet, as a bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere and struck the remaining half of the machine, blowing it to pieces, sending it flying off the catwalk and causing it to explode in mid air.

Luckily, it had already fallen quite far down from the catwalk, so the explosion caused by it did not reach and damage the catwalk, so neither Cloud nor the others had any serious concerns about it.

"Well now, that wasn't so tough, was it, huh?" said Barret, smugly, raising his one fist in triumph.

"You'd call that tough in the first place? That was almost as easy as just beating up a Shinra employee," said Cloud, with a snort of scorn.

"I did just say it wasn't so tough, didn't I? That was a taster, but nonetheless, it was unexpected. Come on, the platform below will take us to the main core," said Barret, and they continue on.

They walked along it and then climbed down another ladder. This led to a big pipe that they would have to use as a path. They walked to the end of the pipe and climbed down another ladder.

This led to a long bridge leading to the main core valve of the Mako Reactor N05 itself. They all walked across the bridge and they arrived at the main part of the Reactor, now standing right in front of it, ready to set the bomb.

Suddenly, Cloud's whole vision went blood red, a loud beeping sound appeared in his head, giving him a pounding headache, and he fell to the floor of the bridge, clutching his head in agony, and as he blacked out, he suddenly remembered a moment in his dark, horrifying past from five years ago...

_It was five years ago, at the Mako Reactor in Mount Nibel, which was nearby Cloud's hometown, Nibelheim._

_Cloud watched helplessly as Tifa (fifteen years old at this time) was kneeling over the body of her father, who was lying motionless on the floor._

_He was dead, with a massive sword wound in his chest, and was surrounded by a pool of his own blood._

_Tifa was sobbing uncontrollably, crying, and shaking her father's dead body desperately, unaware that Cloud was standing behind her, watching with a grim, haunted expression on his face._

_"Papa…oh god no, please no, oh god. Wake up, papa. Please wake up," said Tifa, desperately, depressed, upset and in floods of tears._

_Then suddenly, in an instant, rage and anger quickly overcame her, as she began to realize exactly what had just happened to her father._

_"It was Sephiroth, wasn't it!? Sephiroth was the one who did this to you, didn't he, dad!? He did this to you, and he will pay for it!! Sephiroth, SOLDIER, Mako Reactors, Shinra, everything, they all did this, and they'll all pay for this, father, I swear it!! I HATE THEM ALL!!!!" screamed Tifa, and roughly brushing her tears off her face, she quickly got up, filled with intense rage and desire for vengeance, as she ran off to the core of the Reactor, where…_

Cloud suddenly re-awoke and he found that everything was back to normal. His vision was normal, no longer red, and the loud beeping sound in his head was gone along with his headache.

It was just like what had happened at the last Reactor, but this time he was remembering dark moments from his past rather than receiving strange telepathic messages. Cloud stood silent and still for a moment, shocked and stunned. Just what the hell was going on here?

        "(Why is all this stuff happening…? I've never experienced anything even remotely like this before…so just what the heck is happening to me…?)" thought Cloud, confused, in disbelief.

        "Damn it man, get a bloody hold of yourself for god's sake!" barked Barret, sharply and impatiently, which brought Cloud back firmly to his senses.

"Cloud, what's wrong? Are you alright?" asked Tifa, far more worried and concerned for him than Barret was.

"Tifa…" began Cloud, slowly, wondering how on earth he would be able to tell her that he had just relived the moment when she discovered that her father had been murdered.

"Yes, Cloud?" asked Tifa, listening intently, looking rather anxious about him. Cloud hesitated, and then he shook his head slowly, choosing not to mention what he had just seen to her, deciding it was for the best if he said nothing about it.

        "No…just forget about it…come on, let's hurry! The Mako fumes…I get dizzy sometimes around them…but I'm okay now. So let's just hurry and get this whole thing over and done with," said Cloud.

        Tifa looked concerned and doubtful towards his words, but she chose to say nothing else about Cloud's sudden collapse, guessing that she wouldn't get a proper answer about it from him anyway.

Cloud and Tifa both casually walked over to the main core valve of the Mako Reactor, while Barret stayed behind on the bridge, standing still and watching. Cloud sighed wearily as he noticed this.

"I know, you're staying there to be my watch, in case you think I'll do anything suspicious, right?" said Cloud, flatly.

"Damn straight I am, Ex-SOLDIER. You may be Tifa's old friend, and she may have convinced me to be a little politer to ya for a favour towards her, but that still ain't good enough for ya to earn my full trust. I'll believe that you're trustworthy when I see more convincing proof of where your true loyalties lie," replied Barret, firmly.

Cloud shrugged, took the bomb from Barret, and he walked over to the main core valve and placed the bomb firmly on the middle of the main valve.

"There's no timer detonation on the bomb this time round, right, Barret?" asked Cloud, curiously. Barret nodded grimly, and quickly explained.

"That's right, this time there's none, as Shinra have changed their security from detecting remotes to doing timers instead, which means we're gonna have to do a remote detonation this time. So instead, Tifa's gonna access the bomb's codes and then Jessie will pick up the signal and trigger the bomb by remote as soon as we're out of the area. And I reckoned this plan would be a damn sight safer too, seeing as how we nearly got killed ourselves in the last Reactor mission," explained Barret.

Tifa ran up to where the bomb was placed, and had her fingers dance over the small keypad in the side of the bomb, pressing in a secret code, and then the bomb glowed orange and the word confirmed appeared in the bomb screen.

"The bomb's all set, and ready to blow at any time, Barret. Jessie's got the signal, so all we've got to do is leave this place, and she'll blow it up right after that," informed Tifa. Barret nodded, satisfied.

"Good, now let's get the hell out of here quick, the faster we leave, the more chance we'll have of blowing the Reactor before Shinra's security find us or disarms the bomb!" said Barret, urgently.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa quickly ran back the way they had come. They climbed back up the ladders and ran along the catwalks until they reached the big stairs.

Just as they were about to reach the ladders upwards however a group of nine Shinra soldiers ran from the doorway at the end. The three rebels stopped and prepared themselves for combat.

"Stop where you are, terrorist scum! Drop your weapons and lie down on the ground, you are all under arrest!" shouted one Shinra soldier. Cloud merely snorted.

"Hey guys, this moron here has just ordered us to behave and surrender, but somehow I don't feel like doing that, do you?" said Cloud, scornfully. In response to this, a single gunshot fired and a bullet slammed into the floor right beside Cloud's foot.

"Be silent, you terrorists! Try to do anything and we will shoot you, you are outnumbered and are under arrest!" shouted another Shinra soldier.

Cloud didn't care in the least and was not concerned, the bullet had just caught him off guard, that was all, and he knew that two could play at this game.

"Under arrest? Yeah, right!" said Cloud, and he sprang forwards to attack, his massive sword readied and held tightly in his hands.

        Charging forwards, Cloud executed a perfect forward twisting flip, a move that stunned all the guards and further more allowed him to kill three of them at the same time without warning with just one slash of his sword, slicing through their necks, effectively decapitating them, as blood flew everywhere and the corpses fell with a thud to the floor.

As the other guards all looked on in shock and fear, Barret took his chance and opened fire on them, killing all but one of them, the others falling dead, with bloody bullet holes.

        The last guard smiled nastily, and aimed his gun straight at Cloud, who wouldn't be able to put up a defence or evasion in time for the shot. He had him, the guard had thought. The arrogant and cocky spiky haired terrorist was going to get what was coming to him, as he prepared to pull the trigger, less than a second away from doing so.

That illusion was quickly shattered though, as Tifa locked her slim but strong arms right around the soldier's throat from behind, cutting off his air and choking him, and then using her arms and hands with flabbergasting strength, she quickly twisted and snapped the soldier's neck like a twig with a nasty cracking sound.

        Grimacing in revulsion, Tifa then let go of her victim, and the dead soldier fell to the ground in a heap at her feet, his head at a freakishly odd angle from his body.

"You know, Cloud, you really shouldn't just leave yourself open and so exposed to attack like that. That's pretty careless," said Tifa, grinning with satisfaction and pride at her skills.

        "(So it really was a good thing that I came along after all, I had a feeling I would be needed this time. It's sure surprised me though, that I've saved Cloud's life. I really I am glad I came along now, who knows what would have happened otherwise,)" thought Tifa, as Cloud looked at her gratefully.

"Thanks a lot, Tifa. I never knew you could do things like that so easily with just your bare hands," said Cloud, clearly impressed by her skills, she was definitely a lot stronger than she had been back in their childhood.

        Barret, who was far more used to seeing Tifa's skills from the last few years that they had known each other and become sort of like an older brother and a kid sister to each other, said nothing about it, and was rather quiet for once. Tifa smiled at Cloud, pleased by his compliment towards her.

"Well, that's true martial arts strength for you, Cloud. I certainly practiced really hard at it these last few years, and my teacher, Zangan, always said that I had great potential in the martial arts. Anyway, are we ready to continue our way out of here?" asked Tifa.

"Yeah, definitely. Let's get going," replied Cloud, nodding, and he, Tifa and Barret continued onwards through the path of the Reactor leading to the exit.

Even though that group of guards had appeared before, Cloud, Barret and Tifa found no more resistance coming for them as they made their way up the spiral stairwell and back up towards the front of the Mako Reactor.

The lack of Shinra resistance really unnerved Cloud rather than relaxed him, they couldn't possibly have timed it so well that the guards were all taking breaks or whatever, this place just had be guarded somehow, even if Shinra didn't know what Reactor was under threat.

They came to a small area of the Reactor, walked over to the locked security gate at the end of it, and they walked to the left of the gate until they came to a machine with six yellow buttons on it (four buttons on one side of it and two buttons on the other).

Cloud walked to the side of the machine with two buttons, while Barret and Tifa went to the other side. They could each handle two buttons using both their hands (Barret only had one hand, but he could just use his gun-arm for his other arm to press the other button anyway).

"Jessie said that we all have to push all these buttons at exactly the same time in sequence. At least that's what she told me," informed Tifa.

They soon all pushed the buttons at exactly the same time, and sure enough the gate opened, leaving the way to the bridge clear, and from there they would leave through a secret passage, while the Reactor would explode behind them.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa walked through the gate, walked along the path and they came to the bridge with a left and right route at the middle, one of them leading to the exit where they could get away safely.

They walked along the bridge and they came to the left and right turns on the bridge. Cloud was looking around the Mako Reactor, wide-awake and alert.

"Everyone, be on your guard. This has all been just too easy somehow. It wouldn't be this easy to just infiltrate a Reactor and place a bomb on it without hardly being attacked or threatened at all," said Cloud, readying his sword.

"Haven't you ever heard of good luck, Cloud?" asked Tifa, grinning at him, but Cloud's grim and serious expression didn't fade in the least.

"Yes, but this is Shinra we're up against here, and you can't ever rely on good luck against the likes of them. As evil as they are, they always attack and squash any bug in their path, and they would never let anyone do something like this, and just let them get away with it. They have absolutely no mercy or compassion for anything at all. I know what it was like in the war, they used so many dirty and savage tricks that it could make people sick, killing millions of people just to satisfy themselves. They wouldn't just let us in here with barely any security around to guard it. We have to be on our guard," said Cloud, very seriously.

Tifa's smile quickly faded, and she nodded in agreement, looking worried. Barret also agreed with Cloud, as Barret knew perfectly well what Shinra Incorporated was like, in fact, he had an ever bigger idea of what evil Shinra would be capable of doing than Cloud did.

"(Damn it, Cloud could be right about this, this whole thing might have been some damn trap of Shinra's, some game of theirs, and we could be playing right into their rotten corrupted hands. I damn well wouldn't put it past those bastards,)" thought Barret, as he spoke up, fully cautious and alert.

"Are ya saying that this might just be some sort of trap or something?" asked Barret, curiously, looking around the Mako Reactor cautiously and raising his gun-arm, as though he thought something would suddenly come out of nowhere and spring on him at any moment.

"I don't know, but I do know that Shinra are up to something. I mean, when we came in here, we met little resistance at all. Where are all the many other soldiers and the robo-guards that guard this place? Even if they are divided between the Reactors, why aren't there more of them here? I mean this is a Mako Reactor; they can't afford to have these down, it means that Shinra can't line their golden pockets. I think we should all be on our guard here," said Cloud.

"Yeah, you've got a good point about that. Alright, everyone keep on your guard and just be careful, in case something does happen," ordered Barret.

"Come on then, let's just get out of this Reactor as quickly as possible before anything bad can occur over here," said Tifa, urgently.

        Cloud and Barret nodded in agreement, and then Barret pointed to the left exit out of the two ways off the bridge at the other end, opposite each other.

"We gotta go this way! We need to take the left, and then head into the tunnel passage, and from there we go into the Sector 4 upper city!" shouted Barret, and he started to go left as soon they reached the opposite end of the bridge.

        Suddenly, eight Shinra soldiers, (dressed in red uniforms), entered onto the bridge from the same passage, and stopped right in front of Barret, their guns all aimed right at him, as he found that he was clearly trapped, and slowly backed away to where Cloud and Tifa both stood, his eyes wide.

"Shinra Soldiers!? Shit, just what the bloody hell is going on here!?" yelled Barret, surprised and clearly alarmed by their sudden situation.

"I was right all along. It's just what I've suspected this whole time. It's all been a cleverly planned out trap by Shinra. Our escape exit's blocked off, and there's no way that we can make a move to resist or escape, or we'll be shot down right now," replied Cloud.

        "No shit, ya thick dumb ass, but we still gotta figure a way out of this mess, or else it's all damn well over, and hell if I'm gonna be outdone by these bastards!" snarled Barret, cursing furiously.

Suddenly, there was the clear sound of footsteps coming from opposite them, and a man appeared at the other end of the bridge having come out of the Reactor, and this was a very, very important man indeed.

        The man's face, well known and feared across the Planet, showed no sign of fear or compassion at all, only clear calmness, in a completely cold but overly casual manner.

Cloud knew exactly who the man was, and so did Barret and Tifa, but were they all still shocked and stunned to see him there, in person.

        All of them simply gaped in disbelief, unable to get any words out for a moment, all of them thinking the very same thing. What was HE doing here…?

During the last forty years, many powerful companies had witnessed Shinra Incorporated rapidly rise through the years from a pitiful weapons manufacturer to a mega world ruler corporation of vast influence and power, dwarfing all others effortlessly in comparison.

        Soon, everyone from little children playing with their toys to old elderly men sitting in rocking chairs knew the vast importance and great power and respect that the name Shinra Incorporated bore.

Not surprisingly, Shinra Incorporated had made many enemies and critics as its power hungrily soared to unbelievable, and seemingly unsurpassable new heights.

        President Shinra or the 'Shinra Jackal' as every one of his critics had nicknamed him, astonished his enemies with his shrewd, cunning, ruthless brain, and his total lack of compassion or mercy towards them.

Within three years of becoming a world ruler, he had effectively destroyed all rival companies and other current organizations. During the Wutai war, around fifteen years ago, Shinra Incorporated establishments in cities and towns had become significantly larger than the existing governments themselves.

Since the established governments were very inefficient in power, size and wealth compared to Shinra Incorporated, the entire Planet's population came to rely on Shinra for more and more things that they usually turned to the government for, such as schools, roads and law enforcement, and many various other things.

Any other nations that had existed just faded away within a year or so. Shinra had taken over all governments along with the armed forces, and then they had effectively taken over the entire world.

President Shinra himself, the most wealthy man on the entire Planet and the ruler of the whole world, walked slowly across the Reactor bridge, stopping at the opposite end of it to Cloud and the others. He simply regarded the AVALANCHE terrorist rebel group opposite him as nothing more than a bunch of naive, stubborn, foolish children, and he shook his head in pure disgust.

"I'm afraid that I cannot allow any of you terrorist scumbags to go any further beyond here. This is where your petty little rebellion ends," said President Shinra, breaking the long, stunned silence.

"P-President Shinra…" gasped Barret, in amazement, his eyes flaring wide as he saw his main adversary in person, face to face, for the very first time.

"Why is the President here?" asked Tifa, also rather surprised, and dimly aware that neither Cloud nor Barret had even the slightest answer to her question.

        "So, we finally meet at last, face to face. Since your first and last bombing, I've been wondering a lot about what sort of people would dare to assault my Mako Reactors. After all, it's very clear to me that you three must all be part of…what was it? What was that name, again?" asked President Shinra, coolly, mockingly, taking out a cigar and lighting it.

Not one person on the whole Planet could remember the President without a cigar stuck either in his mouth or between his fingers.

Cloud knew perfectly well that President Shinra already knew what the name of AVALANCHE was, and was just saying otherwise to get them angry. In Barret's case, he was certainly succeeding, as Barret roared furiously at him.

        "AVALANCHE!!!! And don't ya ever forget it, 'cause it'll be the word that spells your own downfall! And you're the big shot asshole President of Shinra, huh!?" yelled Barret, angrily, deeply enraged at even the sight of him. President Shinra looked completely unfazed By Barret's words.

"Yes, I am indeed the ruler of Shinra Incorporated, and of this whole Planet. And judging by your demanding attitude, you are the leader of AVALANCHE, I presume? At last, I've caught you, and your rag-tag servants. Did you honestly think for even a moment that after that stunt you pulled before with the Mako Reactor N01 the other day, that we would just let you get away with destroying yet another Mako Reactor? But even if you had thought you could do it, it is of no matter now, as this moment will be the end of you all," said President Shinra, coolly, clearly confident.

"(So this is the damn bastard that's been responsible for all the misery, corruption and devastation that's been going on in the Planet these last few decades. Well, that asshole's gonna pay, if it's the last thing I do!)" thought Barret, furiously.

Barret was now shaking with uncontrolled rage; his one large fist clenched tightly, and he raised his gun-arm, aiming it straight at the President's head, ready to fire and put an end to him at any moment's notice, knowing that if he did, then Shinra was finished, and the rebellion would have succeeded because of it. President Shinra stared back calmly, however, without any fear or anxiousness at all.

        "Don't be a fool. There are at least twenty guards each to the left and right of you who would all happily place several bullets in your chest at the slightest sign of any threat or resistance," said President Shinra, coolly. Barret only snorted in response.

"Yeah, whatever, Mr head of all bastards! At least I'd die with the immense satisfaction of killing you!" snapped Barret, just about to fire, when Tifa suddenly stepped right out in front of him and his gun-arm for the second time that day. Barret's hand slipped off the trigger at once, as he looked startled at seeing her block his aim of killing Shinra once and for all, at gaining the ultimate victory for AVALANCHE.

"Barret, NO, don't it! You'd get yourself killed too! Think of Marlene! What would she do if you were dead, how would she react to it, and how would she get on with the rest of her life!?" protested Tifa, and she too could never bear it if she had to watch her dear friend get killed right in front of her.

Barret looked shocked at this realization due to Tifa's words, and also immensely horrified at the very thought, and he slowly lowered his gun-arm in reluctant and heavy defeat, and even his dark, immense hatred for Shinra Incorporated was overshadowed by the love and care he felt towards his daughter, Marlene.

        For the first time in their occurring encounter, there was now a different emotion on the President's face other than his icy calmness, as he now seemed rather surprised, and quite taken aback for once, then he slowly spoke up.

"So…there is someone out there who could affect you so much after all. Too bad I have no idea who it is. Then I'd know how to truly make you suffer," said President Shinra, with a dark grin.

Before Barret could rage furiously at the President yet again, Cloud calmly took a step forwards across the bridge towards the President of Shinra, without any fear or anger whatsoever.

        "Long time, no see, Mr President. Don't do this if you want to escape here with your life intact," said Cloud, warningly. President Shinra raised an eyebrow at the comment, puzzled by it for a moment.

        "Long time, no see...? Oh yes, I remember now…it's you. That glow in your eyes…and that large sword of yours. Yes, you're the one who quit SOLDIER and joined AVALANCHE, the pathetic little resistance movement. Well, that's just too bad. I knew that you'd been exposed to Mako energy from the glow in your eyes. Tell me then, traitor, what is your name?" asked President Shinra, casually.

        "Cloud Strife," replied Cloud, coldly, looking rather icily at the President, who nodded slowly, thinking to himself, before answering.

        "Ah yes, that was it. Of course, I faintly remember it now. Forgive me for asking, but it's not every day that some pathetic, treacherous loser like you leaves the great army SOLDIER for a mere mercenary job. Especially against the very corporation that gave him everything he wanted. And besides, I can't be expected to remember each and every single person's name. That is…of course…unless you become another Sephiroth…" said President Shinra, coolly, clouds of smoke visibly blowing from his cigar.

Cloud's glowing blue eyes widened suddenly, and he felt as if his heart had stopped, frozen in his chest, in fear and horror, at the mere mention of Sephiroth.

        To Barret's surprise and Tifa's concern, the normally cold, uncaring, cool and emotionless Ex-SOLDIER was now shaking widely in pure fear and terror, as horrible memories were beginning to emerge in his mind. President Shinra just shook his head and sighed.

"Yes, the great and all powerful SOLDIER, Sephiroth. He was truly brilliant, perhaps too far brilliant for his own good, as it turned out…" said President Shinra, calmly.

"S-Sephiroth...?" stuttered Cloud, surprised, horrified, and taking a few shaky steps back in terror as terrible, haunting memories began to take place in his mind.

Thoughts of burning, intensely hot flames, seemingly hotter than the flames of hell, and of a low, cold, insane and purely evil laugh took place in his mind…

Barret quickly stepped out in front of Cloud though, and his loud, angry shouts brought a thoroughly shaken Cloud back to his senses.

        "Don't give a damn shit about none of that crap! None of that matters now, ya fool! I've got a few words that I want to say to ya! In a few minutes, this whole place will blow, ya hear me!? This place is going up with a big bang soon! You're too late! We've already set the bomb! This whole place will soon be dust! It serves ya all right!" yelled Barret. President Shinra just laughed casually.

"Ha, ha, ha. What a farce. My technicians are inside there right now, currently trying to disarm the very device that you planted. And what a waste of good fireworks it is, just to get rid of vermin like you," replied President Shinra, coolly, mockingly, but something about that comment seemed strange to Cloud, and he glanced at Tifa, who seemed to notice the same thing, but Barret just raged on, not noticing.

"(What a waste of fireworks to get rid of us…? What's he talking about, isn't it us who are doing the bombing on their Reactor? Or does he have something else in mind? I don't like the thought of it…)" thought Cloud, as Barret raged on.

"VERMIN!? That's all ya can say, ain't it, vermin!? You just shut the damn hell up! Shinra are the vermin around here, killing the Planet! And that makes you King Vermin! So you just shut the hell up, ya damn jackass!" roared Barret, angrily, getting very mad indeed, and shaking with rage.

        President Shinra simply yawned dully, mocking Barret, and gave him a look of scorn in response, which predictably made Barret even madder.

        "You're all beginning to bore me now, you're all of no entertainment or use to me anymore. I'm a very busy man, you know, so if you'll all excuse me now, I have a very important dinner that I must attend," said President Shinra, coolly, his calmness still clearly mocking the AVALANCHE group.

        "Dinner!? Don't you give me that crap, ya rotten bastard! I ain't even started with you yet!" roared Barret, getting even angrier than usual, madder than either Cloud or Tifa had ever seen him before, and that was really saying something. But President Shinra still looked unconcerned.

"But don't any of you worry, you won't be left out. For you all see, I have made some previous arrangements for a little…playmate…for you all to deal with," said President Shinra, smugly, with a nasty smirk that Cloud found foreboding.

As if it were a signal right on cue, President Shinra clicked his fingers loudly, and suddenly they heard a strange sound and realized that something was coming towards them, fast, until it finally arrived just in front of them to the side of the bridge. It was a heavily armoured robot on tank tracks and it was black and red with no robotic arms, but it had plenty of guns.

        "(This ought to sort them out. Their petty attack is at an end, and this Reactor shall become their grave. How fitting indeed, that they should die at the very place they attempted to destroy. And I know that there are three others members elsewhere, so we will hunt them down too, and kill them. The pathetic resistance movement, AVALANCHE, shall be no more,)" thought President Shinra, smugly, as he then spoke up.

"Meet Airbuster, a new techno soldier of ours. Our Weapon Development Department, lead by Scarlet, created him. I'm confidently sure the data that he'll extract from your dead bodies will be of great use to us in future experiments, and in finding your three friends, so we can deal with them too," said President Shinra, with an evil grin, full of smugness.

        "Techno soldier...?" said Cloud, confused, as he stared at Airbuster, which towered above him and the others, menacingly aiming its guns at them.

Suddenly, right at that moment, a Shinra helicopter arrived and hovered right next to President Shinra, right beside the bridge, as the side door of it flew wide open for the President to enter inside of it.

        "Now then, if you'll all excuse me, I must go and attend that dinner…" said President Shinra, with a nasty smirk, and he quickly got on the Shinra helicopter, and then the helicopter quickly flew off.

"Wait, President!!" shouted Cloud, but President Shinra had already gone and escaped, and the Shinra helicopter was soon out of sight.

The Shinra soldiers all quickly ran away into the exit passages, leaving Cloud, Barret and Tifa alone with Airbuster on the Reactor bridge, which was at least a hundred feet above the slums below.

        If any of them fell off the bridge, then they would likely fall to their death, a handicap that President Shinra had no doubt relied on, which was why the ambush had taken place on the Reactor bridge.

        "Cloud, get your damn ass over here right now! We've gotta do something about getting through him!" shouted Barret, urgently, pointing to Airbuster.

As if responding to this, Airbuster moved on its tank tracks with surprising speed towards Tifa and Barret, raising and aiming its guns, and it looked ready to attack.

        "Come on, help us, Cloud! Just what is this thing? This is from SOLDIER?" asked Tifa, in disbelief. Cloud shook his head firmly, as he put his full attention towards Airbuster.

        "No way, it's no SOLDIER! It's just a machine, that's all. It's no more than a tin can as far as SOLDIER are concerned. It has no soul," replied Cloud, taking out his sword, and holding it tightly in his hands.

        "I don't give a shit about what the hell it damn well is!! What matters is that I'm gonna bust this thing up!" shouted Barret, aiming his gun-arm right at the large machine, as the Airbuster raised its own rifles, and prepared to fire…

Meanwhile, inside the Shinra helicopter, President Shinra smirked confidently, smoking his cigar as usual, while the helicopter flew on its way back to the Shinra Headquarters, and it was a fair distance away from the Mako Reactor N05 now. Tseng and Reno were both also on the chopper.

        "Well, that ought to keep those stupid brats pre-occupied for quite a while," said Reno, coolly. Tseng nodded in confident agreement.

        "Yeah, permanently," replied Tseng.

President Shinra sniggered darkly at this comment, before remembering something else that urgently needed to be done, as he spoke up to Reno about it, deciding to send him on this new assignment rather than Tseng, who had already done this mission several times and had been unsuccessful at each attempt. It was the only thing he ever had failed at, but perhaps Reno could succeed at it instead.

        "Oh, and Reno…I'm sending you out on the newest mission to capture the girl. And it is absolutely essential that she must be taken alive," said President Shinra, strictly.

        "What do you mean, sir?" asked Reno, puzzled, having been informed of nothing about him doing a new attempt to capture the girl. President Shinra frowned at this, and turned to face Tseng.

        "Tseng, didn't you speak to him the other day about doing a new assignment towards capturing the girl?" asked President Shinra, annoyed. Tseng hesitated, then he slowly replied.

        "No, sir…" replied Tseng, quietly.

        "I strictly instructed you to inform him about trying to capture the girl! So do it right now, because in a few hours, the mission will be carried out, now explain it to him!" demanded President Shinra, sharply.

"Yes, sir. Reno, listen up…" said Tseng, hastily, and he soon began to fully explain the whole situation of their newest assignment.

Meanwhile, back on the Reactor bridge, Cloud, Barret and Tifa all quickly attacked Airbuster. Barret and Tifa were facing the front of it, while Cloud was facing the back of it, and there was no way to get around to the other side of the robot on the Reactor bridge.

Airbuster was a big robot, not as wide or as long as the Guard Scorpion was, but it was even taller. Tifa used her fists and feet as her weapons. She had been taught Martial arts as a kid, and she was strong and tough. All of them had Materia in use as well, and therefore each of them had Magic to use against Airbuster.

"(This definitely isn't good. I refuse to believe this robot is on the same level of skill as the likes of SOLDIER, but it's still going to be tough to defeat, otherwise President Shinra wouldn't have been so confident towards it, he's anything but stupid after all,)" thought Cloud, as Barret then urgently spoke up.

"Listen up! We gotta take out this tin shit right now, or they'll be no chance to escape, and Jessie and the others will have no choice but to blow up the Reactor before those technicians can disarm the bomb, otherwise the mission will be a complete failure. They'll be wondering what's taking us so long, but they might not wait around a lot longer than this, they know what's at stake. So we gotta move it quickly to get out in time," said Barret, urgently.

"We will, I'll make sure of that. I didn't come here this far just to get killed and not receive my payment for this damn job. There's no way anything's going to stop me from getting it," said Cloud, determinedly, his sword readied and held tightly in his hands.

"But we've still got to be careful to avoid falling off the bridge in the process of battling this machine, otherwise we'll be dead for sure. So we really have to be cautious to avoid that fate, and it's going to be very difficult doing that while concentrating on destroying this robot and getting out of here at the same time," said Tifa, anxiously, looking worried. Barret growled viciously, and glared hard at Airbuster.

"Damn those Shinra! Those bastards will pay for this, I swear to God, they will! I'll make them suffer for this, just they wait and see! That stinking President's gonna regret counting on only this thing to deal with us, 'cause I'm gonna blast it to bits!" roared Barret.

Screaming with rage, Barret suddenly opened fire with his gun-arm, firing several bullets aimed straight at Airbuster with hard force, all of them hitting it directly, but like with the Guard Scorpion, the metallic armour of Airbuster was well built and constructed, so that the bullets just bounced off it without much effect on it.

The bullets rebounded off the armour just above the group, so there was no danger of getting struck by them, as they flew past them overhead.

But suddenly, in startling speed for something that was on tank tracks, Airbuster sped forwards in a flash across the Reactor bridge at full speed, heading straight for Barret, who couldn't do anything to avoid it in time on such a narrow bridge, as Airbuster filled the width of it.

As a result of this, Airbuster rammed hard into Barret, slamming directly into him on impact, then abruptly stopping on the spot. Barret was sent flying backwards, and landed back down hard onto the bridge with a loud bang as his head struck the bridge floor, and lay still on the bridge floor, unmoving and fairly close to the edge. He had clearly been knocked out unconscious by the sheer strength of the impact of Airbuster, as he wasn't moving.

"Barret!!" screamed Tifa, in alarm and frantic concern, as she quickly rushed across the bridge to his aid, but the scream had alerted Airbuster to her presence at once, as it aimed one of its rifles at her direction, and Tifa, too busy concentrating on getting over to Barret, had not yet noticed, but Cloud certainly had, with immense horror.

"Tifa, watch out!!" screamed Cloud, frantically, knowing helplessly that there was nothing he could do to get around Airbuster to its front and stop it from firing at Tifa, he was stuck facing it from behind where he couldn't even get to the rifle to destroy it in time.

Tifa spun around on the bridge to face Airbuster just as it fired its rifle right at her, but it wasn't bullets that came from it, it was a small bomb heading straight for her, and Tifa knew this meant nothing good. President Shinra hadn't been lying, this thing really was capable of killing them, and it was the machine's sole purpose as well.

With no other options to do in time, she quickly kicked the small bomb into mid-air as it reached her, but it exploded quicker than expected as an explosion burst in mid-air just above the bridge.

Tifa was sent flying backwards by the sheer force of the explosion, her body slamming hard against the metal railing of the bridge, before she fell with a loud thud on the bridge floor and didn't move, clearly too injured and bruised by the attack to get back up, as Airbuster moved in for the kill.

Deep rage and anger suddenly consumed Cloud as he saw the big machine prepare to continue its assault on his dear childhood friend that it had dared to hurt like this, and he wasn't going to let that thing get away with it, no way.

"You're no SOLDIER, you're just a stupid bucket of bolts, now let me show you how SOLDIER really fight like!" yelled Cloud, as he sprang into action and charged towards the back of Airbuster before it could turn around.

Cloud quickly raised his sword and leaped into the air, and then he swung his sword straight at Airbuster, as it pierced right through the metal of the back of Airbuster, leaving a long sword slash in it, and slicing the armour wide open, exposing and slicing through some of the circuitry at the back.

Cloud landed back down onto the bridge comfortably, noticing the large hole in the back of its armour that he had just caused, and knew he had just made a weak spot to destroy Airbuster entirely.

He was about to attack it from behind again, to finish it off for good, when Airbuster suddenly spun right around to face him, sensing the danger that had been about to occur. Cloud cursed angrily at the realization that he had just missed out on his chance at victory, as Airbuster focused its attention towards him now, its rifles aimed right at him. Cloud prepared himself to avoid the small but deadly bomb that would come from it, but he was in for an unexpected surprise.

Suddenly, instead of using the rifles, which had been a misleading act all along, Airbuster sped forwards on its tank tracks with startling speed, meaning to ram right into him, just like it had done with Barret earlier.

Due to his SOLDIER training and enhanced reflexes and senses, and due to being infused with Mako energy in SOLDIER though, Cloud was alert and ready for the attack. He could see no way around Airbuster on the bridge to avoid the attack, which meant there was only one way he could avoid it, but it was a big risk.

As Airbuster charged quickly towards him, Cloud suddenly withdrew his sword into its metal locks, and leaped off the edge of the bridge. Immediately, he reached out and grabbed the railing just in time with his hand, and swung himself back onto the bridge as Airbuster went past and abruptly stopped, sensing that Cloud had just dodged it. Cloud leaped back onto the bridge, and quickly charged towards Airbuster's exposed back to quickly finish it, quickly reading his sword.

Cloud suddenly leaped onto the top of Airbuster's back, and quickly plunged his sword down, deep into the machine, slicing through the back armour at the top of it as well. Before he could deal the final blow though, Airbuster quickly shook him off by moving quickly again, and then braking abruptly, to send Cloud flying off it.

Cloud landed back safely onto the bridge as Airbuster spun around to face him. Once again, it was separating him from Tifa and Barret, who were behind it, while Cloud was facing the front. If only one of them could get up and attack it from behind, the battle would be over, but both of them looked down for the count at the moment.

But just then, Tifa suddenly groaned in weary pain, shaking her head, as she staggered back up onto her feet on the Reactor bridge. She quickly looked down at one of her gloves, urgently checking the Materia that were attached firmly in the slots.

With immense relief, she soon noticed the Restore Materia attached to one of her gloves, and feeling as though she were about to collapse, she quickly grasped the Materia tightly, and concentrated hard on it.

Green light burst from the ground beneath her feet at once, and some magical blue-white energy suddenly appeared out of nowhere in mid-air, and went straight towards her and then touched her, fully healing all her injuries and fully restoring her health. Feeling cured and refreshed, Tifa sprung back into action, facing the back of Airbuster.

Seeing this, Cloud sighed in relief, but this turned out to be a careless mistake. As soon as Cloud had let his guard down, Airbuster aimed its rifles at him, and suddenly fired a small bomb from one of its guns right at Cloud in a flash. Cloud had barely enough time to spin around in surprise and jump backwards as the small but deadly bomb exploded just above him in mid-air.

Cloud was sent flying backwards across the bridge by the force of the explosion, and fell with a loud clang on the bridge, landing right on one of his arms, which twisted behind his back, and the bone broke at once. Cloud yelled out in sudden pain as his left arm broke, and there were marks all over him from the explosion that had occurred nearby him.

With the smoke cleared, Cloud slowly staggered to his feet on the bridge, his left arm hanging limply at his side, as he was clearly injured, hurt and bruised from the explosion, and one of his arms was now broken, as Airbuster towered over him, aiming its rifles right at him, sensing the kill, and prepared to finish him.

From behind Airbuster, Tifa saw that Cloud was in great danger, and in an instant, she was suddenly filled with great rage towards Airbuster, and desperation to save Cloud, as she quickly shouted out to the tall machine.

"You leave him alone! You dare touch him, and you'll get pounded into scrap metal! I won't let you harm any of us, you're going down right NOW!" yelled Tifa, as she charged forwards just as Airbuster spun around on the bridge to face her, sensing her coming but was unable to react in time to do anything about it, as she sped quickly towards it.

Reaching the front of Airbuster, Tifa let her full rage and strength loose onto the machine with astonishing effect and speed, as she punched it hard several times across its robotic head and front, even knocking it around a few times, before she let loose a powerful punch, and knocked one of its rifles right off, and then the other. Both of them fell off the bridge and fell to the ground many meters below.

Its bomb rifles completely gone, and its front armour now completely battered and dented from the sheer force of Tifa's attacks, Airbuster had clearly been weakened, as Tifa leaped backwards onto the bridge in front of it, panting for breath after her quick and tough series of fist attacks.

Tifa expected it to counter attack against her, and she prepared to try and avoid the attack that was no doubt going to come, expecting it to try and ram hard into her.

But instead, Airbuster suddenly changed direction, spinning around, and it charged at full speed towards Cloud, who would not be able to avoid it or put up a resistance in time with a broken arm, and this time Airbuster intended to run right over him, to crush him to death.

Letting out a cry of dismay, surprise and horror, Tifa quickly tried to rush after Airbuster across the bridge to help Cloud, but knew she wouldn't be able to outrun it in time to save Cloud from the attack. Suddenly, she heard a loud, familiar and most welcome voice shout out from behind her.

"TIFA, GET OUT THE WAY NOW!!" bellowed Barret, in urgent warning, apparently fully alert and back comfortably on his feet, his gun-arm aimed right at the behind of Airbuster, and it was fully charged up, but Tifa was blocking his aim.

Ignoring her startled astonishment at seeing Barret suddenly look perfectly alright now despite the attack against him earlier, Tifa quickly leaped up and somersaulted out of the way into mid-air as Barret fired and unleashed an orange ball of energy from his charged up gun-arm.

The ball of energy flew with lightning-quick speed, flying right below Tifa just before she landed back onto the bridge, and it flew straight towards the exposed part of armour at the back of Airbuster that Cloud had cut open earlier.

Sensing sudden danger, Airbuster stopped on the bridge just five feet in front of Cloud, but before it could turn around, the ball of energy from Barret's fully charged up gun-arm suddenly struck it directly at its exposed back, and immediately exploded on impact, completely reducing the back armour and inner circuitry of Airbuster to pieces in a massive bang.

As a result of the attack, the whole of Airbuster suddenly blew up into pieces in a huge explosion of blazing heat and blinding light, and it took out the part of the bridge that it had been on, but it also took out the nearby part of the bridge that Cloud had been standing on as well.

Suddenly finding himself with no bridge below him, Cloud suddenly fell, but just managed to grab the ruined end of the bridge with his unbroken arm before he could fall, but could not pull himself up, as his other arm was broken from Airbuster's bomb attack earlier. There was a hole now in the middle of the bridge, and Cloud was hanging for dear life on one of the sides of the hole, unable to pull himself back up.

Barret and Tifa were at the opposite side of the hole on the left, and then they saw that the whole Reactor was about to explode, since warning alarms suddenly sounded in the whole Reactor, indicating that it was about to blow.

This meant that Jessie had pushed the remote detonation switch, having no more time to stall for it with technicians trying to disarm the bomb, and the Reactor could now blow up at any near moment.

In great desperation and despair, Tifa tried frantically to reach out for Cloud, leaning across the hole to try and grab him, but she just couldn't reach him, no matter how hard she tried to. He was just too far away, and she couldn't do anything to help him. Barret shouted out in clear alarm.

        "Shit, the Reactor's gonna blow! Let's go, Tifa, come on, we need to get out of here right now, the thing's gonna explode any second!" shouted Barret, with clear urgency.

Tifa looked back at Barret, frantically shaking her head, tears beginning to form in her beautiful brown eyes, and she was still crouching down nearby the hole, where Cloud still hung to the edge of it on the other side.

        "Barret! Can't you do something to help him, anything to save him…please?" asked Tifa, desperately, pointing to Cloud, and trying in vain to reach him.

Staring over at Cloud, who was still hanging helplessly on the edge of the bridge at the other end of the hole, Barret looked very grim indeed, and shook his head slowly, knowing reluctantly that there was nothing he could do to help either, and he felt sorrow for Tifa and guilt towards Cloud.

"(Since that damn Airbuster robot attacked me, and knocked me backwards across the bridge, I was injured by the attack, but I was always conscious and silently waiting on the floor, charging up my gun and biding my time for a chance to attack and finish the machine for good. The damn thing forgot about me because of it, and the plan worked out, but now…now I'm not so sure it was the best thing to do…maybe it's my fault that Cloud's in this situation…and after seeing him defy the President like that…maybe I judged him too harshly after all…)" thought Barret, gravely, as he spoke up to Tifa, who he knew would be devastated by this, and he dreaded to think how on earth he was going to help her get through this disaster.

        "I can't do a damn thing to help him out either, Tifa…I-I'm sorry…I can't reach him from here, and neither can you…so there's nothing we can do to help him. That hole is at least fifteen feet wide, there's no way either or us can get to him," replied Barret, shaking his head hopelessly, looking clearly regretful about the fact that he and Tifa had no choice but to leave Cloud behind to die. Tifa still clearly refused to accept it though, as she screamed at Cloud frantically.

        "Cloud, just hang on, don't let go! Please don't die! You can't die, you just can't! There's still so much that I want to tell you, so much that I haven't said to you yet, so much that I want you to know!" shouted Tifa, desperately.

        "(Cloud can't die now, he just can't! He can't have gone through all this just to get killed now! And I didn't watch out of him these past few days just so he would d-die! If he dies, then it will be all my fault, I should never have persuaded him to come along on this mission. The only thing I've done because of it was to unknowingly sign his death sentence…!)" thought Tifa, in overwhelming despair and grief, refusing to accept that this was happening, refusing to believe that this moment might be the last one that she would ever see Cloud.

Cloud slowly raised his head and smiled faintly at her, but his eyes were filled with panic and horror at his situation. He couldn't pull himself up, and the others couldn't reach him, the Reactor was about to explode, and he was hanging in mid-air with the slums hundreds of feet below him.

"(Damn it, looks like I'm done for this time…I knew I should never have stayed in AVALANCHE any longer after the first mission. Too late to think about that now…they'll be no payment this time…no, I refuse to believe this is my fate! There has to be a way to survive…but for now, the others had better get out of here, before the Reactor blows up…)" thought Cloud, alarmed and fearing for his life, as he shouted to Tifa.

        "I know there's things you wanted to say, Tifa, but there's no time for that! Now, get out of here, leave this area! You'll get fried if you don't! This place could blow any second!" shouted Cloud, urgently. Barret spoke up anxiously, his previous intense distrust and irritation towards the mercenary Ex-SOLDIER seemingly forgotten.

        "Hey Cloud, what about you? Are ya gonna be alright?" asked Barret, fully aware that this was a stupid question, but he could think of nothing else to say, his tone of voice and the expression on his face actually showing concern for once.

        "Shit! I'm not sure I can hold on anymore for much longer, my broken arm's really getting sore! Barret, if you're going to do something, then just hurry!" shouted Cloud, urgently. Barret sighed wearily, and shook his head.

        "Don't you go start crying like a woman, you should have figured it out by now that there's nothing I can do for ya here to help ya. You've gotta do it for yourself, it's the only way for ya to survive," replied Barret, though he doubted that Cloud had any chance of survival from this situation.

        "Alright fine, but do me a favour! You just get Tifa out of here now! Just at least make sure that she's safe! You guys worry about yourselves! I'm all right, but take care of Tifa!" shouted Cloud, urgently. Barret nodded grimly, while tears were clearly running down Tifa's face.

"Yeah, I'll take care of her, Cloud. And it might not mean much to ya now, but I'm real sorry…about all of this. We'll meet one day where all brave warriors go," said Barret, solemnly, and Cloud shouted out furiously at him.

"Stop talking like this is the end!" shouted Cloud, sharply, as Barret shrugged, deciding to act as if Cloud really was going to survive this, for his sake.

"Okay then, we'll see ya later then, I guess, Cloud. Just make sure hold on," said Barret, without much conviction in his voice, seriously doubting that he or any of the others would see Cloud alive and well again.

Without warning, the Mako Reactor suddenly exploded, the force of the explosion was massive, and as a result of it, Cloud lost his grip on the edge of the Reactor bridge, and fell right off the bridge, and fell to the slums far below.

Tifa tried to reach out to him over the edge and might have even willingly fallen after him, but Barret stopped her, grabbing her by the shoulders, hurling her back up to her feet, and he ran off, dragging Tifa along with him, who was trying desperately to go back, but when she knew it was too late, she wept as Barret led her and himself out of the Reactor area.

As soon as they had left, the whole Reactor bridge was quickly consumed and destroyed by the huge flames of the explosion, which had completely destroyed the Mako Reactor as planned, as it exploded in a huge ball of fire and a bright flash of light, leaving only ruins of a destroyed Mako Reactor, thick clouds of smoke and flames rising from it. The upper city of Sector 4 nearby had not been harmed or reached by the explosion though, unlike the last mission.

Cloud fell hundreds of feet to the slums far below, until he suddenly crashed straight through the wooden roof of a church in the slums, and he hit the floor of the church hard above the wooden planks of the roof that had come down with him, and darkness took him instantly, leaving no more thoughts or consciousness, as everything suddenly went black…


	10. Sector 5: Flowers Blooming In Church

_Chapter 10_ _Flowers Blooming In The Church___

"It appears that you have finally regaining conscious thought. Are you alright for the moment? Can you hear me yet?" asked a voice suddenly, the exact same strange voice that he had heard from the Mako Reactor N01 on the bridge before the main core, Cloud soon realized, and once again, it seemed to be coming from his mind, as if telepathically.

Cloud had regained consciousness a few hours after he had fallen off the bridge, but he didn't open his stinging eyes, not just yet anyway.

        He was in a great deal of agonizing pain, since his back was broken from the fall, and both his arms and legs were broken, and he felt his own blood spread slowly around him, but somehow, miraculously, he was still alive, but he knew with grim terror that he wouldn't survive for much longer.

He was bleeding badly, and was badly wounded. He could feel his vision getting dimmer and his eyes heavier, and he was getting weaker and weaker, feeling his strength gradually fade away, and knew that he was dying.

        Cloud knew that no type of potion or Restore Cure Materia could heal any mortal injury or wound, and could not heal so many broken bones either. He realized with overwhelming fear and despair that he was finished, but he wanted to face his fate bravely, if this moment really was his final fate...

        "Yeah…" replied Cloud, numbly, finally answering the mysterious voice in his mind that he had no idea about, but as he was dying at the moment, he really couldn't care less about it. The mysterious voice quickly spoke up again, with absolutely no emotion or tone to it whatsoever.

        "Back then, when you were just a kid...you could get by in this situation with just skinned knees," said the voice, which like the last time Cloud had heard it, sounded neither male nor female, and sounded neither threatening nor calming.

        "(Just what the heck is going on here? Where's this voice coming from, and just who, or what, does it belong to? And what the hell does it mean...I could survive this kind of fall when I was a kid...? That sounds like complete bullshit. Besides, I never even suffered a fall like this back then...did I...?)" thought Cloud, thoroughly bewildered and perplexed.

        Cloud winced with pain as his head, as well as the rest of his body ached badly, as he lay bloody, broken and gradually but surely dying, his strength and life force fading away. Just like the Planet itself. How very ironic indeed, Cloud thought bitterly, and then he finally spoke back.

        "Just what do you mean by...getting by a fall like this, back then...?" asked Cloud, confused. The voice quickly spoke back up in answer.

        "Forget about your past, it's not important right now, with your future at stake. So what about now, then? Do you think that you can get yourself back up onto your feet just yet?" asked the voice.

        Cloud thought that saying something like that at this moment was just completely and utterly stupid, but as he was dying anyway, he didn't see why he shouldn't at least try to fight of his survival, even if his chances of it were pretty hopeless.

        "I'll give it a try…" replied Cloud, and despite the fact that his back, arms and legs were broken, he tried to heave himself up, still not opening his eyes.

        He only moved a few inches before he slammed back down on the floor, unable to keep himself up. Cloud gritted his teeth against the scream of intense agony that threatened to come rising from his mouth, as burning plan flared through his broken and bloody body. He was done for, alright.

        "Oh my gosh! Hey, you really moved, you're alive after all! Boy am I glad, I feared I was looking at a dead corpse!" exclaimed a second voice suddenly, a mixture of intense relief and anxiety in its tone of voice.

        This was a different voice that sounded female and gentle, and judging by the sound of it, it was coming from above him, and it sounded oddly familiar, like he had heard it from somewhere before, and he couldn't quite place it yet. But then the voice from his mind spoke up.

        "Well, how about that then? Looks like your little attempt at movement was useful after all, someone else is here to help you out, it seems. But just make sure that you take your movement slow now, little by little. I'm done speaking to you here, but just remember this one fact...problems never go away by simply ignoring them. Do not even once believe otherwise," said the voice.

        "I know that...but hey, just who the heck are you anyway!? How are you doing this!? What do you want from me!? Answer me, who are you!?" demanded Cloud, but he somehow sensed that the voice was no longer in his mind at all, gone without any trace.

        "Hello, can you hear me? Hello, can you try to wake up?" asked the female voice, gently, from above him.

Cloud just managed to open his heavy-feeling eyes, and he saw that he was in the middle of a large stone church, having crashed through the wooden roof.

        He was lying on a flowerbed with planks of wood on top of it that had fallen from the roof when he crashed right through it. Cloud saw his own blood around him, and felt intense agony and his strength draining. He wasn't going to last much longer now...

Having to use all of his little remaining strength, he slowly lifted his head, and saw (to his astonishment and surprise) Aeris, the same flower girl that he had met in the upper city of Sector 8 and had saved from those thugs on the train.

Aeris had to have been the one with the female voice that had been speaking above him, while he had lay dying on the church floor. The other voice, however, had mysteriously vanished from his mind without a trace.

        "(Finally, he's awake, thank god for that, I was really afraid that he'd pass away before he could ever wake up. But he still doesn't have much time left, so I'd better hurry. Now that he's conscious, I can help him. It might mean revealing my unique abilities to him, but I don't have any other choice...)" thought Aeris, knowing it was simply the right thing to do, and there was no way she was going to change her mind about it.

        Aeris knelt down at his side, looking rather worried about him, but she gave him a reassuring smile. She then closed her eyes and placed her hands on Cloud's chest, and she seemed to be chanting something in an odd language that Cloud couldn't make out. It then occurred to him, with some confusion, that she was praying.

        Before he could comment on or ask about what she was doing though, Cloud suddenly felt a sudden wave of energy and life pass through his body.

        After it had passed, he discovered to his astonishment and disbelief that his broken bones and injuries were fully healed, and he felt just as strong as ever, with the intense agony now completely gone without a trace. Cloud simply stared and gaped at Aeris, astounded and highly stunned, not believing what had just happened.

Not even any type of Potion or Cure Magic from a Restore Materia could heal anyone with too serious an injury with either many broken bones, or a mortal wound, and Cloud had certainly received many of those in the fall.

        But Aeris had just fully healed all of his many broken bones and his mortal injuries with just her own unique abilities, nothing else, not a Potion or a Restore Materia, just her very own abilities.

And by doing so, she undoubtedly had just saved his life. So just who, or what, was she? Aeris stared back at Cloud, smiling broadly, and then she still knelt down beside Cloud, and quickly checked to see if he had any more injuries.

Aeris was wearing the exactly the same clothes as before, and she looked exactly the same as she did when Cloud first saw her and saved her life, with her beautiful emerald green eyes, and her shiny brown hair, the end of it wrapped up in a ponytail with a strange white Materia wrapped in it. She then spoke to him, smiling.

        "Are you okay now? Can you get back up? You really took a pretty nasty fall, you know. Oh, and in case you're wondering where you are, this is a church in the Sector 5 Slums. I was here, tending for the flowers as usual, when the roof suddenly fell and you came crashing through it, and landed with a loud thud on the floor on the flowerbed here, just as I was tending to it. You really had me worried and scared. I was waiting here with you for the last few hours. I was afraid that you might never wake up," said Aeris, looking and soundly intensely relieved indeed.

Cloud smiled at her gratefully, with a gratitude he couldn't even express or put into words, and then he suddenly thought of Tifa, and how worried she must be about him, and if she and Barret had made it to safety. Cloud stared back at Aeris, as a thought suddenly just occurred to him.

        "I came crashing down here?" asked Cloud, in disbelief, shocked by the fact that he could well have been killed, had it not been for Aeris somehow healing him and saving his life. Aeris nodded in response.

        "The wooden church roof and the flowerbed must have broken your fall, you sure were lucky, or you would have been killed on impact. The flowers saved you from getting killed in the fall, and at least I was able to heal you just now, before you could die from your intense injuries," said Aeris. At her words, Cloud looked around, seeing what he was sitting on.

        "A flowerbed? Is this yours then? I'm sorry about that, if I caused any damage to them..." said Cloud, awkwardly, quickly leaping off the flowers, and brushing them off his clothes to the flowerbed. Seeing this, Aeris smiled warmly at him, standing back up to her feet as well.

        "That's quite alright, don't worry about it. The flowers here are quite resilient and they grow quite easily, because this is a sacred, holy place. No one comes here anymore, not for years, but I always like to hang around here, tending to the flowers. Lovely, aren't they? They say that you can't grow grass and flowers here in Midgar…but for some reason, the flowers in here have no trouble blooming and growing here at all. I really do love it here," said Aeris, softly.

Aeris turned around and stared up at the stained glass windows that adorned the walls. The sunlight streamed through the colored glass and splashed across her bright red jacket and pink dress, beautifully highlighting her every feature, her face, her eyes and her hair.

        "(Just who is this girl? Why does she seem so different to me than anyone else around here? How the heck did she heal me and save my life? How can she grow flowers here with no sun or rain? And just why does she seem so very attractive to me, anyway?)" wondered Cloud, bewildered.

        Cloud swallowed hard, a strange feeling in his chest as he stared at his mysterious saviour. Aeris then knelt back down on the floor by the flowerbed, and sorted out the flattened flowers as best she could at the moment.

"How on earth did you fall down to here anyway?" asked Aeris, curiously, no doubt intensely wondering what had just happened to cause such a situation.

"I fell from a bridge on the Reactor above, when it gave way right from under me," replied Cloud, shortly, not wanting to go into any detail about it, not liking the idea of thinking back to a moment he had believed he was really going to die in.

        Seeing and understanding this, Aeris just accepted his vague answer, and she didn't press on the subject of it any further. So instead, she said something else, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"So then…we meet yet again, it seems I was right about us meeting again after all. Don't you remember me at all, from somewhere before?" asked Aeris, curiously, listening intently for an answer.

        "(I really do wonder if he remembers me at all, I did owe him so much for saving my life last night, after all. But even though I've never seen him before that, he really does look a lot like...like my boyfriend used to look before he...there has to be something more to this, and I...I think I need to find out just what that is...)" thought Aeris, as Cloud thought back and finally spoke up and answered.

        "Yeah, I do remember you. You were selling flowers back at the Sector 8 upper city, and I saved you back on the train on the way back to the Slums, too," replied Cloud, with absolute certainty. Aeris's smile widened in clear delight and her emerald green eyes sparkled.

"Oh, I'm so happy! You DO remember after all. You were walking in a daze that night in the city, I was worried that you might have forgotten. Oh, and thanks again for buying my flowers…and for saving my life back there on the train. I was hoping that we might meet again, so I could repay you, but now I believe we're even, after I just saved your life a few moments ago. Say, now that I think about it...do you have any kind of Materia currently in your procession?" asked Aeris, curiously, smiling warmly.

Cloud nodded, noticing that Aeris certainly seemed to talk a lot and make a lot of conversation, and that usually annoyed him when other people did this, but for some reason he didn't mind her doing it at all. In fact, he kind of liked it, she seemed quite interesting…

        "Yeah, I've got some green magic-type Materia equipped to my sword. Nowadays, you can find Materia almost anywhere around here in Midgar or in the rest of the world. You can use it for almost any purpose too," said Cloud.

        "But my Materia is special and unique compared to the other ones. And that's because it's good for absolutely nothing," joked Aeris, chuckling, pointing up at the strange white Materia that was wrapped up in her pink ribbon in her chestnut brown hair. Cloud raised an eyebrow at her comment.

        "A Materia that's good for nothing at all? You probably just don't know how to use it properly, to its real potential," replied Cloud. Aeris quickly shook her head.

"No, I do know how. Believe me, I do know how to use Materia, even better than anyone else does. Mine just doesn't do anything for some other reason. I just feel safe having it, that's all. It was my mother's, and she asked me to take good care of it...I don't know why she wanted me to, but I'd never let her down, so I still look after it. Say...you know, I do feel like talking more about various things, so do you feel up to it? It really gets lonely here in the Slums with no one but my mother to talk to. And after all, here we are, meeting here again, right?" asked Aeris, curiously, looking at him pleadingly. Cloud just shrugged, suddenly feeling a bit of pity for her, and he knew he didn't have it in his heart to say no to her.

        "It sounds fine to me, I really don't mind if you do want to talk. You know, it's getting quite dark and late. How about I just walk you home, and we can talk more on the way there before you get back," suggested Cloud. Aeris nodded in agreement, beaming with clear happiness.

        "(All of a sudden, I really am glad I could see this guy again…even if it certainly was in a most unexpected way. What an entrance it was, coming down through the roof like that. This guy's certainly full of surprises. Still though…there's definitely something rather intriguing about him,)" thought Aeris.

"Okay then, your offer's gladly accepted, but could you please wait here for a moment? I've just got to go check on my ruined flowers for a few minutes, see if I can sort them out a little. Oh, I wonder whose fault that is, hmm…? It's not that easy to grow these flowers, you know…poor flowers. Anyway, I'll be just a minute, so don't worry about it, you couldn't help it, I'm sure. Oh yeah, that reminds me! Gosh, we still haven't really introduced ourselves yet, have we? I'm Aeris Gainsborough, the flower girl, and the only one in all of Midgar. It's really nice to meet you. And what's your name?" asked Aeris, curiously, listening intently as Cloud answered.

        "The name's Cloud Strife. And you're probably wondering what's my occupation, right? Well, it's not really one job, since I do a little bit of everything, you see. But only for the right price, of course," said Cloud, with a grin, introducing himself.

        "Oh, so I guess that makes you a jack-of-all-trades then," said Aeris, suddenly starting to giggle to herself. Oblivious to this, Cloud nodded thoughtfully.

        "Yeah, I guess you could say that. I just do whatever service is needed for my payment," said Cloud. He then saw that Aeris was suddenly laughing.

"Just what's so funny all of a sudden? What are you laughing at?" asked Cloud, thoroughly bewildered, but also rather bemused, and was not annoyed.

"Ha, ha…oh no, it's nothing, just nothing. Sorry if I seemed a little rude, I just…" began Aeris, but she then abruptly stopped talking, and looked behind Cloud, glancing over his shoulder, and a worried expression suddenly formed on her face. A very worried one indeed.

Cloud, noticing this with surprise and concern, quickly spun around to see what she was looking at, and what had just gotten her so anxious all of a sudden. His eyes flared wide with flabbergasted shock as he saw exactly what the reason was, and knew at once Aeris had good reason to be worried.

Reno the Turk was leaning casually against the side of the open church front door, taking out his deadly Nightstick weapon from his scruffy navy blue Turks suit, and he was looking back at them menacingly with his confident blue eyes, a dark sneer on his face, as he brushed a hand through his messy red hair, and holding his Nightstick tightly in the other.

        "(So this is the girl Shinra are after, huh? Quite cute, but I don't show any mercy even to girls when I'm at work. Shinra will have her this time, I'll make sure of it. The President's promised a big reward for the success of this capture. Wait…just who the heck is that guy with her? He looks like one of those AVALANCHE guys that was on the bridge earlier…but that's impossible, they'll be dead by now, and there's no way they could make it down here so quickly if not. No matter…if I have to deal with him to get the girl, then so be it,)" thought Reno, as he slowly stepped forwards away from the door towards Cloud and Aeris, his Nightstick held menacingly in his hand, sparks of electricity flowing from it.


	11. Sector 5: Reno Of The Turks

_Chapter 11_ _Reno Of The Turks_

"Well, hi there, good morning to you two. Don't mind me, I'm just hanging around," said Reno, grinning mischievously, still holding his nightstick firmly in one hand, and leaning against the church door. Aeris sighed wearily, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry about this, Cloud. It's just bad timing on my part for those guys to show up at this moment. I can never predict when they'll show up here next," whispered Aeris, glancing quickly at Cloud.

Wondering what anyone from Shinra Incorporated, no less someone with as high importance as the Turks, could be doing here and why Aeris would be so concerned with them, Cloud slowly began to walk up to Reno, but Aeris quickly stopped him from going any further towards him, grabbing his arm as Cloud stopped at once.

"Cloud, don't fight here right now, it's only going to cause more trouble! Just don't let it get to you!" whispered Aeris, urgently, clearly still anxious.

Cloud just shrugged in response, seeing her point, and turning his back on Reno, he walked back over to Aeris, and stood beside her. Aeris spoke a little louder to him now, but still quietly, so that Reno wouldn't overhear her.

"Hey Cloud, I've just had an idea. There's something important I want to ask you…have you ever once been a bodyguard before in your tasks as a mercenary? After all, you did say earlier that you do a little bit of everything for a living, right?" asked Aeris, curiously. Cloud was rather taken aback, in surprise, not expecting her to say that of all things, but he nodded in response.

"(A bodyguard? Does this mean she wants to hire me as her bodyguard? To protect her against the Turks? Well, I guess I am the only one who can help her out right now. But why is it that my recent jobs have involved defying Shinra, though? First AVALANCHE, now this…and President Shinra knows my identity, so they'll be hunting me down anyway. In that case, I guess I don't have anything more to lose, by staying with AVALANCHE or by being Aeris' bodyguard…)" thought Cloud, as he spoke up in response.

"Yeah, that's right, I do all sorts of assignments, although I've never been a bodyguard before," replied Cloud, realising that Aeris was somehow involved in something really dangerous now, even though those thugs were gone. With the likes of Shinra and the Turks after her, the situation she was in now was far worse than the one before.

"Then in that case, I'm asking for your temporary services as a bodyguard, Cloud. I saw the way you fought on the train last night, so I know you can do it. I'd like you to help get me out of here safely, and take me home. I don't want to get into anymore confrontations with him and those other men," said Aeris, pointing over to Reno.

"Okay then, I'll be your bodyguard here for today only, after that I've gotta get going to somewhere else. But this is still going to cost you, if you expect to have my services, then there will have to be a payment for it," said Cloud, firmly.

Aeris stared thoughtfully for a moment, thinking carefully about it, and then a big smile lit up on her face as a thought came to her, one that she found particularly appealing.

"Well then, let's see what I can offer…I don't really have all that much money to pay you. Living here in the Slums can be pretty tough sometimes, and flower selling isn't exactly a successful business in Midgar. So instead of money, I've got another suggestion…how about if I go out with you on a date, on any place or day you like, to repay you for this assignment?" asked Aeris, grinning.

Cloud merely stared and gaped at her in surprise, his heart beating so hard in his chest that it was painful, but he nodded quickly, and then he walked towards Reno, his composure soon fully regained.

"Aeris, just stay back. I'll handle this by myself," said Cloud, firmly. Cloud walked up to Reno, who simply grinned arrogantly, and stepped forwards from the church door towards him, as Cloud spoke up.

"I don't know who you are, but…wait, you don't know me either? Oh yeah, I remember…I know you. I think I know who you are. That uniform…" said Cloud, thoughtfully, not making a whole lot of sense in his mumbling. Reno raised an eyebrow at Cloud's bizarre words, and snorted with scorn.

"Hey sis, this one here's a little weird. It's a freak and a nutter if I ever did see one, sis," joked Reno, sniggering. Four Shinra soldiers then came up from behind Reno through the church door, dressed in blue and white Shinra soldier uniforms as usual, and armed with the same standard guns.

"You just shut up! I know what you are, you're a damn Shinra spy! You're nothing more than one of their bloody lapdogs!" yelled Cloud. Reno's hand clenched tighter around the Nightstick, as he raised it, in silent warning.

"Reno, sir, want him permanently taken out of the equation?" asked a Shinra Soldier, with an obedient salute and his other hand clutched the handle of his gun.

Reno glanced at Cloud for a moment, noticing the large sword that was at Cloud's back in its metal locks, and noticed the Materia equipped into it, thinking the plan through, wondering what he should do with this guy.

"I haven't decided whether or not he should be brutally dealt with…yet," said Reno, with a casual shrug, looking menacingly at Cloud, who stood his ground.

"You're from the Turks, aren't you!? Isn't that right, huh!? Well, answer me, are you!?" demanded Cloud, sharply. Unfazed, Reno grinned and nodded.

"Oh, call us Shinra Administrative Department in Research and Development, please! That was our original title years ago, you know. It was that damn Heidegger who started calling us Turks for some stupid reason. God knows why…or am I not supposed to say something like that in church?" joked Reno, grinning. Behind him, the four Shinra soldiers all laughed out loud at Reno's joke.

Reno raised his Nightstick threateningly, which was as long as his arm. But Reno could handle the Nightstick with ease, as he was very tough, and he used it very often, using it as his main weapon.

The Nightstick was also charged with high voltages of electricity and was made to always be charged up; therefore it could give anyone a very serious electric shock, except for Reno, as he was in complete control of the Nightstick, the weapon designed not to harm its user, and Reno had long since fully mastered it in no time, which no one else had ever done. The Nightstick was one of Shinra's finest weapon creations.

"(I wonder…should I fry this guy to bits, or just shock his brains out? Or maybe I'll beat him to a pulp with the Nightstick while it's charged up at the same time. That would certainly have shocking results, heh, heh, heh…and then the girl will be ours at last, and after seeing me torture her little friend, there's no way she'll be brave enough to resist. Let's just see if this guy tries anything first, though…)" thought Reno, mischievously, as he prepared to strike Cloud with the Nightstick.

"Now all I came here for is the pretty girl over there, soldier-boy. So just move your ass out of here, and you won't get your head smashed in," said Reno, holding the Nightstick warningly in his hand.

"Sorry, pal, but no dice!!" snapped Cloud, angrily, as he withdrew his large sword with its metal locks, and held it tightly in his hands, prepared to strike. Reno frowned darkly, knowing now that there definitely would be a fight, alright.

"For your own safety, I suggest that you just stay out of this, if you want to walk away from this dump with your life and limbs still intact," said Reno, warningly, menacingly.

Cloud still calmly held his ground, unfazed, though he suspected that in this situation, he was outmatched, and if there was a battle between the two, it wouldn't be him who would have the upper hand.

"(This doesn't look good. Even First-Class SOLDIERS are outmatched by the highly powerful and feared combat skills of the Turks; no one in Shinra can outmatch them these days, and I very much doubt that AVALANCHE would either. Even if the Turks are very few and selective in number, each one of them is still highly dangerous. I doubt that I'll be able to beat Reno right now, but maybe I can buy enough time to think of a way for me and Aeris to escape…)" thought Cloud, as he spoke up.

"I don't think so, I really have no intention of leaving this place, right now. You're scaring my friend here. She told me that she isn't interested in travelling anywhere with you lot, so why don't you go piss off and just leave?" asked Cloud, coolly, watching with satisfaction as Reno's eyes narrowed.

"Do not even attempt to stop us from accomplishing our goal, we will have the girl in our custody, once and for all," said Reno, menacingly. Cloud snorted, still unfazed.

"Well then, that's just too bad, because you're just going to have to go through me to get to her, unless you're all too afraid to make a move! Well come on then, I'm waiting, so just shut up and attack!" snapped Cloud.

Reno smirked wickedly, and suddenly swung his nightstick at Cloud, aiming at his head, but Cloud spun around to the side just in time to dodge the blow, barely, and he raised his sword, and he swung it back at Reno.

But Reno was very fast on his feet, and he jumped back, and dodged Cloud's attack with clear ease, smirking confidently as he did so, clearly unconcerned, as Cloud's sword swung past him, and Reno avoided its blow without much effort.

Reno quickly swung the Nightstick straight at Cloud again, and this time, Cloud could do nothing to dodge in time, as the Nightstick struck him hard in the head, knocking him hard to the church floor. His head ached painfully, and he felt rather dazed indeed, as he tried to get back on his feet, but only stumbled and fell back to the floor.

Reno swung his Nightstick down at Cloud, and it slammed hard into his ribs, and there was a crack as some of them broke at once. Cloud yelled in clear pain, spitting out some slight blood from his mouth, as he stumbled back onto his feet.

Now standing back up firmly, Cloud quickly acted and swung his huge sword in a flash, aimed right at Reno, but Reno immediately reacted and swung his Nightstick to meet the incoming blow.

The Nightstick deflected the sword away from Reno at once with surprising ease, and Cloud was knocked backwards, but stayed on his feet, as Reno smirked with clear triumph, and raised his Nightstick in Cloud's direction.

"Right now, it looks as though we're in a different league all together, doesn't it? I must admit I was expecting more of a challenge than this, but I can't deny that I'm enjoying myself here nevertheless. Still won't give up?" questioned Reno, looking all too confident about the situation.

"No way…never…" muttered Cloud, sharply; gasping from the pain in his side from his broken ribs, and from how much his head was aching from the blow earlier.

"Well then, if you're that insistent on dying, then I guess I should just do you a favour and put you out of your misery once and for all. Allow me introduce one of my own special Nightstick techniques. It's a technique I like to call the Turk Light, because by the time's its done, the only light you'll be seeing is a light at the end of a long tunnel, courtesy of the Turks," said Reno, with a nasty grin, and as he held his raised Nightstick, the tip of it suddenly began to glow.

The glow at the tip of Reno's Nightstick suddenly formed into a small red meteor of energy, and was aimed straight at Cloud, whose eyes widened in shock and horror. Reno firmly pressed a button on his Nightstick, and the small red meteor of energy suddenly fired straight at Cloud, who could do nothing to avoid it in time, as it struck him with a loud bang, and sent him flying across the church hall, striking the church wall opposite the other end with the door, and he then slid off and collapsed to a heap on the floor.

There was a horrified scream from Aeris, and cheers from the Shinra soldiers as Reno smirked triumphantly, before he quickly charged up his Nightstick with full electricity, deciding to finish Cloud off now, as he ran forwards to where Cloud lay sprawled on the ground.

Reno charged towards Cloud, and as he neared him, he swung his Nightstick above his head and prepared to bring it down to finish Cloud off, as sparks of electricity surged from it at the same time.

Suddenly though, before Reno could deliver the final blow, Aeris quickly leaped out in front of them, and stood just before Cloud, her arms outstretched, blocking Reno from Cloud, and Reno halted and lowered his Nightstick at once, quickly discharging it.

It wasn't concern for Aeris that stopped him, it was the fact that Shinra strictly wanted her captured alive, and if he killed her, which would be much worse than failing to catch her, then he knew that his own life would be forfeit.

As Reno stood still, Aeris quickly knelt by Cloud, who had regained consciousness from being briefly knocked out by the attack earlier, and helped him back on his feet. At once, Cloud stumbled forwards towards Reno, in a maddening rage, his sword raised and ready to strike, but Aeris sprang in and stood between them both. She knew now that fighting Reno was only going to cause trouble and destruction to the church, not to mention serious injury to Cloud.

"Please Cloud, don't fight here! Both of you, you'll ruin the flowers, and the whole church itself too! Cloud, the exit is back there, please just get me out of here! Quick, follow me!" shouted Aeris, pointing to a door at the opposite end of the entrance, just nearby.

Cloud nodded, seeing her point, and tried to follow but almost collapsed, so Aeris put her arm around his waist to help support him from his injuries, and she walked as quickly as she could while supporting Cloud, who was clearly very bruised and injured from the fight with Reno.

They both quickly went through the other church door, immediately slamming it shut afterwards, and locking the door by placing a large wooden beam firmly in front of it, before Reno or the Shinra soldiers could go after them. This didn't bother Reno, who could easily smash the wooden beam, and the whole door, into pieces with his Nightstick.

It was Cloud who had him suspicious and surprised. Reno had recognized the strange glow in Cloud's eyes as the same characteristic of the members of SOLDIER when they were infused with Mako energy, and his skills definitely matched those of the First-Class SOLDIERS.

Reno even had to put quite a bit of effort into fighting him, he had to admit that Cloud had been a lot stronger than he'd first thought, and he suspected that Cloud was capable of doing even better. He simply had to figure out who the heck this Cloud guy was. Reno turned back to face his four troops, who all stood there awaiting his orders.

"Those were…Mako eyes…yeah alright, get back to work, back to work. Okay you guys, time to follow them and clean up the trash," ordered Reno, turning to face the three Shinra soldiers. They all nodded and saluted.

Sniggering mischievously, Reno walked straight across and all over the flowerbed, crushing all the flowers to shreds and wrecking them, and then he started to follow Aeris and Cloud, but suddenly ran back as a thought occurred to him.

"Oh, and for god's sake, show some proper respect in this place and don't step on the flowers, like the young lady said," ordered Reno, grinning. The Shinra soldiers looked incredulously at him, at the fact that Reno had already wrecked all the flowers by stepping on them.

"Hey Reno, you just stepped on all of them!" protested the first soldier, indignantly.

"They're all damn ruined!" said the second soldier.

"You're going to catch holy hell!" said the third soldier.

"Alright, that's it. Enough of you lot moaning, now just shut the hell up, or else. Now get going, and move out, we're not letting them get away that easily. First one to capture the girl gets promoted. Another promotion goes to the guy who kills the Ex-SOLDIER," said Reno, coolly.

The four Shinra soldiers all saluted and quickly followed Reno to the church door that Cloud and Aeris had escaped through, as Reno pulled out his Nightstick, and was preparing to smash the door down at once, before the other two could get far enough to escape their clutches.


	12. Sector 5: Fleeing From The Church

_Chapter 12_ _Fleeing From Church Of Slums___

        Meanwhile, Cloud and Aeris both hastily walked along a path in the church, and jumped across a small hole to a ladder, with Aeris still supporting and helping Cloud walk along as quickly as possible, due to his injuries, trying to put as much time and distance between them and Reno as they possibly could under the circumstances.

They managed to climb up the ladder, then came to a path and walked along it until they came to a fairly big hole in the middle of the path that had to be jumped across to reach the other side of the path.

Cloud looked around the church, trying to find a way to escape the church, doubting that he and Aeris would make the jump if she had to support him across, so he knew he would have to try and do it by himself, despite his current injuries, and winced slightly as his body ached painfully with bruises, and then he spoke up to Aeris after observing the area.

        "Looks like there's a fairly big hole in the roof up there, caused by my fall. If we climb up the ladder on the other side of this path, then we can go across the roof's support structure, and then we can probably get out through the hole in the roof, but we've got to hurry as quickly as possible," said Cloud. Aeris nodded in agreement, seeing that it was their only way out of the church to safety.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang heard across the church as Reno forcefully broke down the door with his Nightstick, and he smashed the door into pieces with ease, and he smashed the wooden beam that had held it back into chunks, with barely any effort at all. As he observed the area he had just went into, he spotted Cloud and Aeris standing on a floor above.

        "There they are, over there, above us! Now get over here, after them!" shouted Reno, urgently. Reno and the three Shinra soldiers were now at the path just directly below Cloud and Aeris, looking menacingly up at them. At once, the Shinra soldiers all aimed their guns right in the direction of Cloud and Aeris, and Aeris gasped in fear.

        "(Oh no, they've found us already. I don't think we'll be able to make it out of here in time before they catch us, with the pace we'll be travelling at compared to them. I wish I'd been better prepared for this again, and now it's not just me that's in danger, it's Cloud too, and it'll be all my fault if anything happens to him because of this…)" thought Aeris, very worried and fearful as well, despite herself.

        "Cloud, look down below us! They're right over there, and they could attack us at any moment's notice," said Aeris, clearly both worried and anxious, unable to keep the desperation and fear out of her tone of voice. Cloud nodded, as he glanced down at Reno and the soldiers below.

        "I know they'll attack us at any moment, Aeris, and the results of it are likely to be very gruesome indeed. It looks like they're not going to let us go that easily, without one hell of a nasty struggle," said Cloud, grimly, knowing full well that they were definitely in a very bad situation.

        "What should we do against them now, Cloud? Is there anything we can do to escape them without getting serious harm?" asked Aeris, hopelessly, reluctantly suspecting that there was nothing they really could do to escape. Cloud turned to face her, looking both serious and determined.

        "Well even if there isn't much of a chance or a way of escape, we can't just let stand still and let them catch us without doing nothing, now can we? Then that means there's only one thing left to do, and we've gotta do it as best we can, no matter what the odds," replied Cloud, refusing to dwell on the hopelessness of their situation.

Despite being injured, bruised and battered from the earlier fight with Reno, Cloud suddenly ran forwards as best he could, and leaped forwards over the hole just as he reached the edge of the path before it.

Cloud just barely made it over, and fell to the floor on the other side when landing, wincing with pain as the impact caused agony to flare through his already injured body, but he ignored it and stumbled back onto his feet, and he turned to face Aeris, who still stood on the other side of the hole.

"Aeris, come on, there's no time to waste! Come this way, it's the only chance we've got of getting out of here and escaping, now jump!" shouted Cloud. Aeris nodded, and she moved towards the hole, but then she hesitated, looking clearly uneasy and doubtful.

"Alright, I'll try and hold them off while you get over here and escape! Just come on!" shouted Cloud, urgently, inwardly raging at her to hurry up and jump, but keeping himself from doing so out loud.

        "Right, Cloud, I'm coming! Just try and make sure that they don't get through here in time to catch us," said Aeris, urgently, as she prepared to jump. Cloud knew he had to obey, he was supposed to be her bodyguard, after all.

        "Aeris, just don't worry about anything else, and hurry it up!" shouted Cloud, urgently, getting rather impatient, as Reno sneered at them, watching them both from below.

Aeris nodded at Cloud, and she was just about to jump over the hole in the path, when suddenly; the Shinra soldiers all raised their guns and aimed them right at Aeris at a sudden signal from Reno. Aeris froze at once, her eyes wide with fear and Cloud cursed mentally to himself.

"Ah crap, what the hell are you lot all doing, don't just stand there like morons! The girl is trying to get away, so don't something about it! Attack! Attack! Attack!" ordered Reno, with a sharp, demanding and loud tone to his voice, so that the Shinra soldiers all obeyed at once.

The three soldiers all suddenly fired their machine guns, completely blasting away the part of the floor that Aeris was directly standing on, and as a result of this, Aeris fell to the bottom floor below and hit the ground hard, and lay motionless for a moment on the floor.

"AERIS!!" shouted Cloud, clearly worried and horrified, as he quickly looked over the edge of the floor he stood on, staring at Aeris in concern and anxiety, before she stirred on the floor, and got slowly back on her feet, looking shaky for a moment, before she seemed to recover from it. Having been silent with horror for a moment, Reno relaxed and sniggered as soon as he saw Aeris get back up.

        "Think that we nearly killed her just then, eh? Well, she shouldn't have tried to run away then! They shouldn't have put up a fight in the first place, I say! Bet you learned your lesson, little girl," said Reno, sniggering. Aeris ignored him, and instead glanced upwards.

        "Don't worry, I'm alright! Just try and do something to hold them off from me, while I can get my way back up there!" shouted Aeris, looking up at Cloud, who nodded quickly in response. Reno seemed slightly surprised that Aeris was still alive and seemingly unhurt, but he was also relived too.

His orders had strictly been to bring her back alive at all costs, after all, and the consequences of ignoring this fact would be very severe. Ironically enough, just as Reno thought about this fact, one of the Shinra soldiers suddenly fired his bullets straight at Aeris, which all very narrowly avoided her head as she screamed and ducked to the floor, and the bullets whizzed right past her ear.

"(What the hell does this guy think he's doing, has he already forgotten my orders to capture her alive without any serious harm done to her, and here he is tried to shoot her up full of bullets. Well, no time to stop him by orders, so I'll just have to prove my point more effectively,)" thought Reno, as he readied his Nightstick.

Reno frowned dangerously, and suddenly charged up his Nightstick with high voltage power, the Nightstick flowing with sparks of electricity, as he swung his arm back and whacked the Shinra soldier hard with it, and at once the electricity took its effect on the soldier, shocking with many volts, immediately beginning to rapidly fry him from the inside. The gun stopped firing and dropped out of the soldier's hands at once.

The Shinra soldier screamed in such agony that Aeris shut her eyes and covered her ears frantically, and even Cloud looked away in disgust, as the electric shock fully affected the soldier, frying him alive as his insides bubbled and boiled, blood running from his mouth and flesh.

Reno snarled in disgust, and discharged the Nightstick, stopping its contact. The Shinra soldier fell lifeless to the ground, the dead body burned black and smoking, completely fried and bloody. All the other Shinra soldiers looked on in fear, each of them stepping back from the corpse with very white and pale faces. Reno spoke up coldly, also making sure he wasn't looking at the result of the scene he had caused.

        "Now let that be a lesson to all of you from now on, if any of you dares to ignore or disobey my orders, or doesn't bother to pay attention to them. So listen up, because I'm not going to say this again. I want the girl caught ALIVE and unharmed, or there's going to be severe trouble, understand? Now go and get her! Capture her at once!" ordered Reno, sharply.

Completely terrified and scared witless by what they had just witnessed, the three remaining Shinra soldiers all nodded and scurried clumsily after Aeris, all of them frantically obeying their orders at once, not wanting to share the same fate as their unfortunate comrade.

The Shinra soldiers had all split up to catch her, each blocking out any places she could go to get to the floor above that Cloud was still on. One of the soldiers found his way to Aeris, and he was ready to attack, as he charged towards her, and Aeris looked fearfully up at Cloud.

        "Cloud, help me, please!" shouted Aeris, frantically. Cloud cursed to himself, knowing that he couldn't get there in time to save her from being captured, and especially not in the injured state that he was currently in. He could see no other way of helping, and knew hope was lost.

        "Damn it, there's nothing I can do to help…! Hey, wait a moment…what's that…?" wondered Cloud, suddenly spotting some barrels on top of the roof's structure, though he had no idea why they would be there in the first place, but the important thing was they were still there. An idea had suddenly just occurred to Cloud, as he knew he had just figured out a way to help deal with the soldiers.

"Aeris, try and hold on just a minute, I've got an idea!" shouted Cloud, urgently.

"Oh, alright then, fine," replied Aeris, with a shrug, feeling uneasy but she trusted Cloud nevertheless, and tried evading the soldier as she waited for Cloud to act.

Cloud quickly climbed up a ladder to the roof's structure as best he could, ignoring the rush of pain that flared through his body, and he stumbled over to the barrels, almost falling off the edge of the roof structure to the bottom floor of the church below, but he regained his footing just in time.

Grabbing one of the barrels, he lifted it over his head, and waited for the right moment to strike as he carefully aimed and threw at barrel at the soldier once he'd stopped, hoping to hit the soldier, but pain flared through him at that moment just as he flew it, which put his aim off. The barrel went flying past and almost struck Aeris, as she screamed and dived out of the way, the barrel striking the wall behind her, and shattering into separate wooden planks.

"(Oh Cloud, just what on earth are you doing there? No it's my fault…I should have known he might struggle in his current condition, he'll just have to recover from it a little in time. I hoped that I would never have to do this sort of thing, but it looks like I have no other choice…)" thought Aeris.

The soldier had then looked up at Cloud and aimed his gun right at him, ready to fire, knowing full well that Cloud could be killed without any consequences or other such importance. But Aeris could fend for herself as well.

She had a long, very solid wooden quarterstaff as her weapon, which was quite strongly made, but it was also light at the same time. Although she was physically weak, her magical powers were amazing, and there was hardly anyone who could better them.

Aeris felt very reluctant and guilty at the very thought of killing others, even if they were Shinra soldiers and other such people who ruined people's lives, and she'd therefore never done it before.

But as she saw that the Shinra soldier was just about to kill Cloud, who wouldn't be able to avoid it in time, Aeris quickly sprang into action at once, her quarterstaff now held tightly in her hands.

Just as the soldier was about to shoot Cloud with his finger preparing to pull the trigger, Aeris quickly raised her quarterstaff and swung it down with all her might at the soldier, who was distracted from her at that moment, catching him completely off guard, and the staff whacked him hard from behind, straight in back of the skull, and there was a hideous snapping sound from that point of impact. The Shinra soldier fell dead to the floor at once, the skull crushed and snapped.

Terrified and alerted by this, the other two soldiers started shooting cautiously at Aeris in warning, but she was quicker than they had anticipated, and she soon found cover from the bullets behind a pole as the bullets slammed around it. Aeris quickly ran out onto a nearby stairwell, but found one of the soldiers standing in front of her, ready to fire.

"(She actually saved my life just then, I'd really been caught off guard by that soldier, but she managed to help out just in time. So it looks like she can take care of herself after all, but I've still got to help her now at once,)" thought Cloud.

Cloud quickly went to the next barrel while the soldier was distracted from him, lifted it quietly, and aimed carefully this time, determined not to miss, and then without any problems, he threw the barrel as hard as he could, directly at the back of the soldier's head.

The soldier didn't see the barrel in time as it fell and slammed into the back of his head with such surprisingly hard force, killing and decapitating the soldier instantly, just as he was pulling the trigger, and the bloody headless corpse fell to the ground, spraying blood on the floor. Quickly looking away from the scene, Aeris looked up at Cloud, and smiled brightly at him for saving her life.

"Thanks, Cloud!" said Aeris, gratefully, and she quickly ran up the stairs to the floor where the hole had been, but the last guard suddenly leaped out in front of her, aiming his gun straight at her, and Aeris froze fearfully.

Acting at once, Cloud quickly picked up another nearby barrel and threw it right at the soldier, but the soldier saw it coming and dodged it easily, and also kept his aim on Aeris at the same time, so that she couldn't give him the slip in the process. Cloud cursed to himself as he saw that Aeris couldn't defend herself this time, and there was only one barrel left in use, which he might have had to save for Reno.

"Freeze at once! Kneel down onto the floor, and place your weapon in front of you on the ground, and then lay still with you hands stretched out," ordered the soldier, strictly, his gun aimed threateningly in warning.

Having no other choice but to do so, Aeris reluctantly obeyed, while the guard walked towards her, and had pulled out tight metal chains from his uniform to restrain her. Alarmed, Cloud quickly tried to rush over to them, but soon stopped as he strongly suspected that he wouldn't make it in time to save Aeris, and could only hope she had a plan. Aeris was knelt down on the ground, her staff lay before her, her eyes closed, but she was actually waiting for the right moment to strike.

"You, girl, are hereby under arrest by the order of Shinra Incorporated and the Turks, for resisting arrest numerous times, and for constantly failing to co-operate with the law of Shinra," said the soldier.

Just as the guard was about to place the chains on her, Aeris' eyes suddenly flew open and she suddenly slapped his palm away in a flash, knocking the gun right out of his hands as the guard spun away sideways from the impact, as Aeris had planned out. Wasting no time, she grabbed her quarterstaff from the floor, and leaped back onto her feet, swinging her staff directly at the soldier.

The last thing the soldier had felt was her staff slam heavily into his chest, sending him flying backwards. The guard fell down the stairs heavily, before falling off the edge and landing with a loud thud on the ground, breaking and twisting his neck, killing him instantly as a result.

With no other remaining resistance in the path before her, Aeris quickly ran back along the paths and ladders until she walked up to Cloud on the structure of the roof, and she saw that Cloud was both surprised and enormously relieved that she had escaped safely, and she also noticed that he was already starting to recover from his earlier fight.

"(Thank goodness for that, we're just nearby the hole in the roof with the resistance of the soldiers dealt with as well, we might just escape here safely after all. But I'm still worried though…Reno is still here, and I don't think he's going to give up his mission that easily…I might have to resort to extreme measures to stop him…)" thought Aeris, anxiously.

After waiting for Aeris to come, Cloud quickly went over to the next (and last) barrel, and after picking it up and aiming carefully, he threw it straight down at Reno, and it was right on target, but Reno quickly split the barrel into pieces and bits of wood with a fast smash from his Nightstick, with no effort at all, and he sneered up at them, unfazed by the attempted attack, as he still stood on the bottom floor.

"Hey, is that all the resistance you've got to offer against me, soldier boy? Well, I say that you really suck! Now come down here, and fight me like a man, instead of hiding up there like the cowardly little rats you are!" shouted Reno.

Cloud felt a maddening desire to make his way back down to the bottom floor to where Reno was, just so he could fight him as Reno so rudely requested, to slash him to death with his sword and show him once and for all that he was not to be played around with.

But instead, he reluctantly ignored his own sense of anger and ignored Reno, and he turned to face Aeris, keeping himself calm, deciding to just get them both out safely.

"(I'll just have to deal with that Turk later, next time we meet, he's not going to find it as easy as he did earlier, I'll teach him to watch his back. He'll pay for being so cocky then, but for now, I'd better get out of here with Aeris, before he tries to come up here after us,)" thought Cloud, as he spoke up.

        "Aeris, come on, we've got to get going. We have to go this way across the structure towards the hole of the roof, then we jump through it and we're out of here safely," said Cloud, confidently, and Aeris nodded in understanding. They both ran to the other end of the roof structure.

"Cloud, we'll be able to get out of here through the hole in the roof. Jump off that broken wooden beam over there above the roof's structure, and we should be able to make out it through the roof without falling to the church floor instead. So, let's just hurry before Reno does something to stop us," said Aeris, urgently, still looking nervous about the situation they were in. Cloud nodded in agreement.

Using the wooden beam for extra height and support, they both quickly leaped out of the hole in the roof (which Cloud made when he fell), as they jumped off the wooden beam through the hole onto the church roof. Both of them quickly got back up and stood on the roof, knowing that they weren't quite out of the woods just yet.

"I don't think that Reno is just going to give up and leave now just because we've got on the roof. I'm sure he'll try to stop us somehow, and he could still come after us and attack," said Aeris, anxiously, and Cloud nodded grimly.

"I was thinking the same thing. He's going to try and come after us, so we better get going across the rooftops, and then found our way back down to the path towards the Slums of Sector 5. Hopefully, we can escape him there," said Cloud, in deep thought, thinking through their options thoroughly, until Aeris suddenly gasped in horror, and pointed downwards to the ground below the roof.

"Cloud, he's already down there just outside the front door, and I think he's seen us up here! He's trying to aim his weapon right at us!" said Aeris, urgently, and looking down the side of the church roof, Cloud did indeed see Reno staring up at them, his Nightstick right aimed in their direction, as he shouted out to them.

        "This is the last chance for the both of ya! Either come down here now, or I'll blast the roof to bits with my Nightstick, and make you come down here myself! Well, what's it to be then? And don't try anything funny, I haven't got all day to mess around with you people, so make your decision now, but either way, you're coming down to get captured!" shouted Reno, as he prepared to charge up his Nightstick.

        "Damn it, it's too late! He's got us right where he wants us! I don't think we have any other choice now, but to do as he says…" said Cloud, darkly, feeling a horrid sense of defeat and lost hope, believing that this time, they really were done for, and Cloud dreaded to think what would happen if he were in complete custody of Shinra after the things he had done against them for AVALANCHE. Aeris slowly spoke up.

        "No, I think that there's still a way we can escape and avoid capture. I've got a plan to make Reno leave. I hoped that I wouldn't have to resort to this, but it looks like I don't have any other choice now…" said Aeris, solemnly.

        "What are you talking about…?" asked Cloud, sharply, staring at Aeris, but she didn't answer, and instead closed her eyes, and clasped her hands together with her staff held tightly between them. She then suddenly began to pray to herself in that same strange language that Cloud had no understanding or knowledge of.

        "Last chance for you both, now give yourselves up, or I'll be forced to fire at you both, and trust me it won't be pretty when I do," said Reno, grinning as he charged up his Nightstick, the tip of it suddenly beginning to glow and forming into a small red meteor of energy like it had earlier against Cloud, and Reno aimed it at the two of them on the roof, prepared to fire his Turk Light at any moment's notice.

        "Aeris, come on, just what are you doing!? This isn't any time to just sit back and pray!" said Cloud, incredulously, but Aeris simply took no notice and continued. Suddenly, Cloud noticed that the Materia slotted into her quarterstaff began to glow brightly, brighter than he had even seen one glow, and he stared in dumbfounded astonishment.

        "Alright, time's up! You've had your last chance, so just brace yourselves for impact as I bring the roof down!" shouted Reno, as he prepared to press the button on his Nightstick to fire the small red meteor of energy right at the roof, to destroy it and bring Cloud and Aeris crashing down.

        Aeris' eyes suddenly shot open, and she quickly raised her arms to the air with her quarterstaff held tightly between them, and swung them back down.

There was a flash of light, and mysterious purple energy seemed to surround the startled Reno, before there was another flash of light, and the purple energy quickly vanished, but Reno was standing completely still, and somehow his Nightstick had been discharged.

        "What the hell…!? I can't move! Why the hell can't I move, what the heck did you just do!?" screamed Reno, furiously, as he glared up at Aeris, but he seemed incapable of moving.

        "Call it another mysterious gift of mine. That technique I just used is one of many strange things I can do. Why exactly I can do these things, I don't know, but it just seems natural for me to have these abilities. This particular one is a sealing spell, it'll stop you from moving for a while, but it's not permanent. So I intend to make you leave before it wears off," said Aeris, as her Materia suddenly glowed brighter than ever.

        Cloud only watched and gaped in startled disbelief as green light burst from the roof at Aeris' feet, and then suddenly a huge wall of fire surrounded the whole church like a huge circular barrier. A ball of fire flew from the flames and struck Reno, sending him flying backwards into some scrap metal and planks nearby in the street.

        Apparently able to move again, Reno got back up from the pile of junk he'd been sent flying into, and for once he looked livid and enraged as he glared up at Cloud and Aeris, who were still both protected by the barrier of flames that Aeris had mysteriously summoned up.

        Reno immediately charged up his Nightstick again, the tip of it quickly glowing and forming into a small red meteor of energy again, before Reno quickly pressed a button on the Nightstick and fired it.

The small meteor headed straight for where Cloud and Aeris were behind the flames, but the meteor was quickly burned into nothing as soon as it had struck the flames, which had become hotter and had intensified. Reno stared and gaped at what was happening, but with it came a sudden rush of complete understanding and newfound knowledge.

        "(So this is why Shinra are so keen on capturing her. I'd been wondering what the use of her was, since she looked so helpless and weak, but now I understand. If she can do so many things just like that…if she has such potential in the use of Materia and casting Magic, then maybe she can lead Shinra to the Promised Land after all. She certainly does seem to have a way with the Planet…)" thought Reno, as Aeris spoke up.

        "Now I'm giving you a choice. As you've just witnessed, there's no way of attacking us with the flames around, and I can make them stay there for a while. And I can also make them attack anything in sight too, namely you. I could fry you to death, but I'm not that sort of person, so instead I'll give you a choice. Either give up and leave this place now, and go back to where you came with your life still intact or I'll have no choice but to attack. It's your choice, but do not believe that you can succeed," said Aeris, as Reno snarled up at her.

        "You may have won this time, you damn Cetra, but just wait, the Turks will capture you eventually no matter what you try to pull off against them! It's only a matter of time before we get you, special abilities or not! And as for you, soldier boy, I'll look forward to the next time we meet, so I can finish our little fight once and for all!" yelled Reno, before he turned his back on them and ran off from the church, not looking back.

        As soon as Reno had gone out of sight, the flames quickly vanished into nothing, and Aeris collapsed to the church roof in extreme exhaustion, and was unable to stop her body from sliding across the roof towards the edge.

        Cloud let out a cry of dismay, and immediately sprang into action, tightly grabbing Aeris hand just as she slid over the roof edge, leaving her exhausted and dangling in mid air. Cloud gritted his teeth as he pulled her back onto the roof with all his might, and he let go of her as Aeris stood back on the roof, gasping for breath, before she carefully sat down.

        "Thanks Cloud, after summoning that wall of fire from one of my Materia, I really felt physically and mentally drained from performing its use. I tried to keep it up as long as possible so it would hold Reno off until he left, but I don't think I could have kept up for much longer…" said Aeris, clearly very relieved, though she was still gasping for breath.

        "But I thought you said to Reno that you could make them stay up as long as you liked, and I thought you said you could just deal with Reno if you wanted to," said Cloud, confused.

        "I was just bluffing back there to make him leave here, that's all. It's a good thing that I sounded convincing, and it's lucky that he left as soon as he did, I wouldn't have been able to hold him off much longer, then we would be at his mercy," explained Aeris, as she still gasped for breath, looking very drained and tired. But Cloud still stared at her in complete amazement, though.

        "But just how on earth did you pull off that wall of flames and that sealing spell too? You were certainly right when you said earlier that you knew how to use Materia better than anyone, but I've still never seen anything like this before, except with…" began Cloud, but he stopped, feeling suddenly fearful as he remembered what those flames had reminded him off, and remembered the cold laugh that had came with them…

        "Cloud, what is it? What's wrong?" asked Aeris, in concern, as she noticed he had gone suddenly quiet and grave, his face going white. Cloud quickly snapped out of his thoughts, refusing to dwell on that moment again, and spoke up quickly.

        "Nothing, it's just nothing. So anyway, just how can you do those things…?" asked Cloud, curiously. Aeris hesitated, clearly doubtful and unsure of what to say.

        "I'm not entirely sure of how I can do these things, it's something I've always wanted to know every since I realised that I could do them. I just find it simple to perform the use of those actions, even if I don't completely understand them. I do know why I can basically perform such abilities though, but I'd rather not reveal that right now, Cloud. You might find out eventually anyway," said Aeris, and Cloud just shrugged, seeing that he wasn't going to get any answer from her.

        "Alright, I'll drop it for now. At the moment though, it looks like you could use some rest, so we'll stay here for the moment, and then get going when you're ready," said Cloud. Aeris nodded gratefully, and the two of them sat still on the church roof for a moment, wondering what was to come next.


	13. Sector 5: The Bodyguard

_Chapter 13_ _The Bodyguard___

        Some five or ten minutes later, Cloud and Aeris still sat quietly on the church roof, both of them lost in their own thoughts. The silence was finally broken when Aeris, who had regained her stamina, spoke up wearily, laughing humourlessly for a moment.

"Ha, ha…after what happened back there, it certainly looks they're really intent on capturing me yet again…I shouldn't be so surprised by that, but it has been a few weeks since the last time they tried…and that's a little later than usual for them…" sighed Aeris.

With a start, Cloud jumped up to his feet in overwhelming surprise at these words, the full meaning of them soon dawning on him, and he stared at Aeris in disbelief and shock, his glowing blue eyes wide.

"(What did she just say!? She deals with escaping the Turks and Shinra soldiers all the time!? And all by herself? I can't see how she could have managed that for a while, since she doesn't seem to go out of Midgar much. But why would Shinra be so intent on catching her?)" thought Cloud, as he spoke up, startled.

        "Yet again!? A few weeks since the last time they tried, and a little later than usual!? Are you saying that this sort of thing ALWAYS happens to you? Aeris, do you mean that it's not the first time they've been after you?" asked Cloud, stunned and horrified as he thought the life that Aeris must live because of this constant threat…

A life filled with fear and anxiety, a life alone with no one else to help or comfort you from constantly looking over your shoulder all the time…in fear.

Aeris hesitated, clearly feeling rather downcast and was reluctant to say anything, but finally she answered, though she didn't meet Cloud's gaze as she spoke.

        "No…it's not the first time they've come after me, Cloud…not by a long shot. In fact, it's been several years now, for nearly as long as I can remember…" sighed Aeris, her head bowed sadly.

Cloud sat back down next to Aeris on the roof, suddenly full of concern and sorrow for her, which surprised him quite a bit, considering he had barely just met her. Aeris moved closer to him as Cloud stared at her in concern and pity, lost for words, until he decided to explain about her captors, as he guessed she didn't know their full background.

"I'm sure you've already figured this out, but that guy in the suit back there was from the Turks. The Turks are a highly feared, combat trained and selective organisation in Shinra Incorporated. They're kind of like Shinra's personal mafia guards, and they're involved in a lot of bad and ruthless stuff, the like of which makes many people shudder. They're the best special ops forces alive on the Planet, and they're very tough, like Reno back there. One of the more commonly known tasks that the Turks do is to scout for any possible candidates for SOLDIER," explained Cloud, thoughtfully.

        "They scout for people to be in SOLDIER like this? They just do all that this violently? I'd always thought that they were just kidnapping someone in those situations," said Aeris, with a nervous shudder. Cloud nodded grimly.

        "(Those people have been after me ever since I was just a child, for about fifteen years now, and all I've ever cared about was just running away from them, not about their details. But now that I think about it…I do wonder what their true background is…to know more about what I've had to just deal with and always run away from…)" thought Aeris, listening intently as Cloud continued.

        "They're also involved in a lot of really dirty and nasty stuff on the side too, stuff that they always show a completely ruthless and merciless attitude towards, when performing their assignments. This includes stuff like spying, murder, kidnapping, espionage, sabotage, assassinations, all those sorts of things," explained Cloud.

        The Turks were known as Shinra Incorporated's top elite hit squad, ruthlessly carrying out their deadly assignments and not letting anything or anyone get in their way, not even their own views or opinions on the matter. They were cunning, merciless, and fearless in their work, and they had never failed to accomplish their assigned objectives. They performed them without question.

"They sure do look like trouble, I knew that from the first time I saw them, long ago. They have this confidence and skill about them that can't help but make anyone feel intimidated," said Aeris, solemnly.

        "But there's one thing about this whole situation that really puzzles me, something that I just can't figure out. Just why would the Turks themselves be after you? Why exactly do they want to capture you so badly? There must be a reason to it all, right?" asked Cloud, staring at her in concern, suspecting that she had some kind of answer that she knew.

Aeris hesitated for a moment, looking clearly troubled about that subject, before quickly shaking her head. Cloud sensed that she was hiding something though, something she clearly didn't want anyone else to know.

        "No, there's not really, I don't think there's any particularly important reason to it. I think they might just believe that I have what it takes to be in SOLDIER, that's all. Maybe they just want me to be in SOLDIER, I guess that thought it could be possible after hearing your earlier explanation. Yeah…as if I could ever hope to compete among the likes of them, I wouldn't stand a chance," replied Aeris, mocking herself as she laughed at the very thought of it.

Cloud stared thoughtfully though, to an extent disagreeing with that statement. He had certainly never met anyone who processed her kind of potential in Materia before, and he definitely respected her a lot more now in this combat respect than when he'd first seen her, when he'd thought of her as a helpless flower girl when it came to fighting, and physically that was certainly true, but now that he had seen the abilities and power she was capable of when using Magic, he knew that he had underestimated her.

"I don't know why you're mocking yourself with laughter, those two attacks you pulled off back there in the church against those soldiers were special enough, and so were your strange abilities and magic that you used against Reno. I didn't expect someone as pretty looking as you would be so skilled when to came to using Materia," said Cloud.

        "Well, you should never ever judge someone just by their looks, you know. Not everything is at it appears to be. And besides, even despite these situations, I've never had to kill anyone before, and I don't like the idea of killing either. Even if they were members of Shinra Incorporated, I still feel sorry that I had to do what I did…" said Aeris, guiltily, her head bowed sadly. Cloud looked rather stern.

"Look, I know that killing may be considered savage, but when you're fighting for your life, it's either them or you. That's the only choice of action you get in these situations. There's just no other way around it. Besides, almost every soldier in Shinra are ruthless savages who will do whatever it takes to ensure their power over the people, and sometimes they even shoot and kill citizens just for a slight protest. These Shinra people are evil, and they must be stopped, even if it does require killing them. But on the other hand, maybe you do have what it takes to be in SOLDIER, with your skills and abilities at magic. You ever considered joining them at all?" asked Cloud, cautiously, hoping that she would say no.

Cloud really didn't want to have to fight her after all, as he was already so filled with concern for her that he would not have the will to do anything like harming or killing her. Aeris was silent for a moment before she spoke up again.

        "I don't really know, I've never given the subject all that much thought…but one thing I do know is that I most definitely don't want to get caught by the likes of those people, the Turks," replied Aeris, with a shudder. Cloud sighed in relief and nodded, understanding.

        "Okay then, fair enough. Then let's get going, I think we've had enough rest now. I think I'd better take you home before anything else happens," said Cloud. Aeris smiled at him in response, as they both got to their feet.

They then jumped across the nearby rooftops from the church roof, but Cloud was going too fast as he effortlessly leaped across them without stopping, and soon he had nearly left Aeris behind without even realising it.

Cloud had been in SOLDIER, and as a result of this, he was able to jump across these roofs, beams and old scraps of iron without any trouble whatsoever, and without even having to pause for breath.

Aeris, however, was clearly struggling a lot as she slowly made her way across the rooftops, and after taking a while to jump, she only just barely made it to the next roof, and was clearly exhausted by the effort, panting for breath, but she tried to shout to Cloud anyway.

"Hey, wait up, Cloud! Wait for a moment, I said!" shouted Aeris, urgently, as she tried to catch up.

Cloud stopped at once, remembering that she wouldn't be able to keep up with his pace, as he looked back and saw that Aeris was only a tiny speck in the distant, and he patiently waited to her to come until she arrived. Aeris finally caught up with him, panting and gasping for breath, as she stopped in front of him, exhausted.

"Stop, Cloud…don't leave…me behind…" gasped Aeris, completely tired out, and taking in deep breaths. Cloud raised an eyebrow at this, bemused by the scene, and he actually chuckled for once.

        "That's funny…I thought that you were supposed to be cut out to be in SOLDIER, or something, isn't that what you talked about earlier? Aren't you in any shape at all? I think you really need some fitness lessons," joked Cloud, grinning.

"Oh Cloud, really, you are just so terrible to me at times!" protested Aeris, attempting to sound annoyed and offended, but she was still smiling at him, the corners of her lips twitching slightly, before she quickly burst into a fit of laughter, unable to hold it back.

"(It's a good thing that she has a sense of humour. True, I can't really say that for myself, but to be in the company of someone with a good sense of humour is still rather interesting to be around with anyway,)" thought Cloud.

Cloud then suddenly laughed too for a moment, unable to control himself, until he suddenly realised with surprise that he hadn't really laughed at all for around five years, and now here he was, suddenly laughing and enjoying himself for what seemed like the first time since then.

Suddenly, even after barely meeting Aeris, he realised that she was enjoyable company to have around, and he also realised that he was becoming quite fond of her and he liked her a lot, and cared about her, even though this was only the second time he had seen her, and the first time that they had properly introduced themselves, all in the space of just two days. Aeris and Cloud finally stopped laughing, as Aeris smirked at Cloud, then a sudden thought seemed to occur to her.

        "Hey Cloud, speaking of SOLDIER, there's something I'd like to know about you, something I think I've just noticed right now. Were you ever in SOLDIER yourself, at any point in time?" asked Aeris, clearly very curious, it seemed. Cloud nodded, slightly surprised by her interest.

        "(Just how the heck did she guess that I was a SOLDIER, anyway? I don't remember saying anything about it that would lead her to guess that I was one of them. And I don't think she would know much about SOLDIER'S identifying characteristics, so there's got to be more to us than she's letting on…)" thought Cloud, as he answered.

"Yeah…I did use to be just another member of SOLDIER at one time, in their ranks, for about two years. How did you guess that I was one once, anyway?" asked Cloud.

        "Well, from the first time I saw you, I noticed at once that you are wearing the proper uniform for SOLDIER, even if it is probably an old one now, for all I know about it," replied Aeris, with a shrug.

        "I could have just brought it at the Wall Market in the Sector 6 Slums, they just find and sell anything that might have a price tag to it over there," replied Cloud, even though he knew that he didn't buy it anywhere, as Shinra had given it to him when he had joined SOLDIER.

        "No, you did get it from being in SOLDIER, I can tell you believe that. And that's not all I saw to figure it out either, there's also your eyes as well. They have a strange, unnatural glow to them, I'd noticed," replied Aeris, staring deeply into his glowing blue Mako eyes. Cloud stared back at Aeris's beautiful emerald green eyes, and the strange feeling in his chest grew again to his annoyance, and he swallowed hard.

        "Uh, yeah…that's known in Shinra to be the identifying sign of someone who has been infused with Mako energy. It's known as a mark of SOLDIER, but only among the likes of Shinra Incorporated. But in that case, just how the heck did you know about that, anyway?" asked Cloud, curiously, bewildered about this fact.

        "(Oh, I know this fact all too well, Cloud. More than you realise…since I spent so much time staring into a certain pair of Mako eyes years ago. But it's something I don't want to tell him about now…it's too painful…)" thought Aeris, as she spoke.

"Oh, it's really nothing much to worry about, Cloud. I just must have picked up this fact of SOLDIER and Mako infusion from somewhere in Midgar," replied Aeris, quickly.

        "Nothing to worry about…?" repeated Cloud, suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at her. Aeris shook her head quickly in response, clearly avoiding his gaze for a moment, reluctant to dwell on the subject at this moment, before she then looked calmly back at him, her composure regained as she decided to quickly change the subject.

"Right, it's nothing, Cloud. Like I said, it's nothing to be concerned about. Anyway, my house isn't too far from here now, so we'll be there in just a moment. So come on, let's go onwards, bodyguard," said Aeris, grinning from ear to ear, and taking Cloud by the arm.

Cloud couldn't help but grin back at her despite himself, and they then both walked along the nearby rooftops and they managed climb down one of the rooftops to get back to the ground on a road, which they would take and go through to get back to Aeris' house, though Cloud found that he still wasn't remotely sure what to expect.


	14. Sector 5: Sneak Out At Midnight

_Chapter 14_ _Sneak Out At Midnight_

        Back on the road on the ground again, Cloud and Aeris had both escaped trouble from Shinra for the moment, it seemed, as Aeris breathed a sigh that held a mixture of relief and exhaustion.

        "Whew, we finally made it off the rooftops safely...am I ever glad. So I suppose you're wondering 'now what', right Cloud? Well, my house is just nearby here, further down the path of this road, so it's not too far now. Although I doubt it will happen, we'd better hurry just in case that Turk comes back to try and get us," said Aeris.

Cloud nodded in agreement, and they both walked quickly along the path, until they had arrived at the Sector 5 Slums. The Slums of Sector 5 were bigger than the Slums of Sector 7, but they were nonetheless just as dirty. All sorts of trash and pools of scum-coated water lay strewn around the streets of the Slums, and several homeless people, crouched down on the road, pawed at Cloud for loose Gil.

When some tried more aggressive tactics to get what they wanted, Cloud quickly lost all temper and patience as he punched one of them hard in the face without holding back any of his strength, making the punch hard enough to knock the bum's remaining teeth loose and spray the guy's blood all over his face, and the rest of them quickly left the two alone, cowering away from them in fear.

The small town that constituted most of the shopping area in the Slums of Sector 5 was a bit cleaner than it was outside it, seeing as how people actually had to live here, but it still didn't do too much good to the atmosphere, which was still polluted and dark like the rest of the Slums of Midgar.

The Slums of Sector 5 were also supposed to be full of loonies, like the guy in the sewer pipe, who did nothing but groan mindlessly all day long. A large number '2' had been tattooed onto the side his arm long ago, but from where it had came from, no one knew.

Most of the people just ignored him as if he didn't exist, believing him to be just some guy gone insane and brain dead during the war between Shinra and Wutai years ago. But that was what life was like in the Slums of Midgar; step on your face and spit at ya.

Meanwhile, on the Plate of Midgar itself, in the centre of the upper cities, at the massive Shinra Headquarters, President Shinra sat calmly in the large spacious meeting room on the 66th floor of the large tower, a shrewd business-like manner about him as usual.

        A woman was there with him in the meeting room on the same floor, having requested a meeting with him. This woman wore a saucy dark red dress that noticeably revealed her curvy bare legs, and she had blond hair and blue eyes that seemed cold and icy, other than the mischievous malice that they also showed. This woman's name was Scarlet.

Scarlet was the head of Shinra's Weapon Development Department, because no one else on the Planet could match her knowledge of weaponry, although Scarlet was frustrated that Heidegger (the head of Public Safety Maintenance) took control of the Turks for himself.

But Scarlet did take control of part of SOLDIER and the Shinra soldiers, (but didn't have main control of them and was not in charge of them as Heidegger was, and this also frustrated her to no end).

Scarlet was undoubtedly well known as a top executive of Shinra Incorporated, which effectively made her one of the top seven people in the huge conglomerate that ruled the world with an iron fist.

        But with two of her own department's creations, (Guard Scorpion and Airbuster) failing to dispose of AVALANCHE, she knew that if this kept up, her position would be under threat, so she had to find a way to dispose of the rebels at once, and she had an idea of how to do it, as she spoke up to the Shinra President.

        "Sir, I have requested your humble presence here for a specific reason that I'm sure you've already guessed. So I'll just get straight to the point. Me and my weapons department have been researching for a way to crush these terrorists, and I'm pleased to report we have found an answer. I know how we can get rid of AVALANCHE once and for all," said Scarlet, beginning the meeting, a triumphant smirk across her face. President Shinra raised an eyebrow and just scoffed in scorn, looking rather sceptical.

"And just what is this plan exactly? What's the bright idea this time, is it one that actually succeeds for once, just as you had claimed would happen with the other failures? Is this merely another one just waiting to happen, or can I expect to see some proper results this time?" asked President Shinra, rather coldly. Scarlet ignored the doubt behind his words, and continued explaining, looking all too confident.

"My department's sources, highly efficient and reliable, tell me that AVALANCHE is still hiding out somewhere in the Sector 7 Slums, but we still don't know exactly where they are based, in the area. The 7th Heaven bar is still empty and boarded up, as it has been since this morning. I sent people into Sector 7 to look for clues around the bar and other nearby establishments. They didn't find anything there that might have seemed out of the ordinary, so we are still in the dark as to what their exact location may be in the Slums of Sector 7," said Scarlet.

"Well, if you don't even know where AVALANCHE is hiding, then what good is that information to us? The simple answer is that such a report is of no use to me whatsoever. I had assumed you might have found something useful to tell me about, but you haven't, have you? I shall be highly disappointed indeed if you have requested me here only to waste my time with facts that you have found no important use for," said President Shinra, sharply.

"Oh, but I have discovered some great importance behind these facts, sir. As we all know, the AVALANCHE rebel group is certainly operating somewhere in the Slums of Sector 7, because Tifa Lockhart, Barret Wallace and Cloud Strife have each been spotted there from time to time in the area, along with three other suspicious looking members. So because they are in the Sector 7 Slums, we know exactly where to strike," said Scarlet.

        "But you still don't know exactly where they are hiding in the area, which gives them the advantage to escape without notice if we ever order an attack on the sector, and we shall be no closer to getting rid of them than before! Now get out of here and back to work at once, and stop disturbing my time with all these meaningless reports!" snarled President Shinra, sharply, slamming his fist on the table. Scarlet looked slightly nervous now, and quickly spoke back up before the President could lose his temper.

"Wait a minute, I haven't finished my point yet! Sir, the concept is simple, we can just get rid of the whole group at once, no matter whereabouts they are in the Slums of Sector 7!" protested Scarlet. President Shinra snorted, looking rather sceptical.

"Just how then do you purpose we do that? How do you intend to do destroy AVALANCHE, if their exact location in the sector is unknown?" asked President Shinra, both sharply and curiously now.

"By destroying the ENTIRE sector itself, of course. And that's where my idea comes in, sir. If we simply just blow up the great pillar that supports and holds up the section of the Plate above the Sector 7 Slums, the huge section of the Plate above it will come crashing down upon them, with the whole weight of the Sector 7 upper city upon it too, destroying both cities and the entire area of Sector 7. Using this plan, we can crush AVALANCHE, literally, once and for all, crush their bodies to bits in an instant, along with the whole sector itself, giving them no chance to escape. Unless, of course, you feel that is too extreme a measure. After all, such an act would completely wipe out both the upper and lower cities, and kill at least sixty thousand citizens in the process," said Scarlet, with an evil smirk, looking rather cold and indifferent towards the fate of the citizens, and was simply awaiting the President's answer, on what his final decision would be on the subject.

There was a long pause of silence, as President Shinra stared thoughtfully for a moment, thinking heavily to himself, his doubt and scorn now completely gone away, as he seriously considered the idea of what Scarlet had just explained to him. It was definitely a most interesting prospect, and he could think of no better way to dispose of the rebels that had dared to stand against him.

        "(Bring down the Sector 7 Pillar to send the section of the Plate down to crush the whole Sector 7 Slums? Yes...that is a most excellent idea indeed, I should have considered this long before. With the rebels based in the area, there is no way that AVALANCHE can survive as long as we make sure they are in the area at the time to act. And we can just pin the blame for the destruction and causalities caused on THEM, so the people will trust Shinra Incorporated even more, and fully despise AVALANCHE too. Yes...perfect,)" thought President Shinra, very smug as he came to a firm decision. Scarlet listened intently, as President Shinra finally gave his verdict.

        "Great work, Scarlet, I believe that a promotion and a pay rise is in immediate order. I love the idea, it shall be under way at once, under very severe secrecy, so we must focus on it intently. Find Heidegger, and tell him I have sent orders for him to track down the leader of AVALANCHE, the big black man with the gun-arm. Wherever he is, the rest of those scumbags are sure to be with him. The Don of the Slums should have the resources to help track him, to confirm they are in the area when we strike, so tell Heidegger to get the Don on this job at once. After that, go and get all the Turks in here as soon as possible, even the new recruit. I've got a certain new job for them all, for if anyone can bring down the Pillar, it shall be them," explained President Shinra.

Scarlet nodded and saluted, and a nasty grin appeared on her face as she left the meeting room to find the Turks. Her idea had been immediately been carried out as she had hoped and expected.

        "(Ha, those terrorist scumbags are going to be wiped out once and for all, that'll teach them right. They'll pay for destroying my precious robot creations and some of my guard platoons. They're not getting the better of me any longer, and I'm getting even richer as a result of their deaths,)" thought Scarlet, smugly, a wicked smirk playing about the corner of her lips, as she laughed cruelly to herself.

Meanwhile, Aeris and Cloud both still walked along the Slums of Sector 5, getting ever closer to their destination now, until they soon arrived just outside Aeris's house at the other end of the Sector 5 Slums, at the far end of the path.

"(The whole Slums of Midgar have always been a dump ever since the Plate was built above them. I wonder what sort of place Aeris has to live in then,)" thought Cloud, curiously.

        But when they had got there, Cloud's glowing blue Mako eyes immediately widened in surprise and disbelief, as he abruptly stopped in his tracks, and stared around at Aeris's house and garden in dumbfounded amazement.

        Just beyond all the trash and scum of pollution in the Slums of Sector 5 was a lush green paradise of various plants and flowers, complete with a streaming waterfall that roared behind a tall, clean, well built brick-red house with fresh flowers on each and every window sill.

There was a rich garden path and trees that sprung out of the ground and reached for the sky above, and a strange light seemed to shine down upon the whole garden. How all these plants managed to grow here with no proper sunlight or rain at all, in a polluted atmosphere as the view of the sky was blocked out by the Plate, was just truly far beyond Cloud's reasoning or understanding.

"This is...your house...?" gasped Cloud, speechless, not believing what he was seeing, staring around at Aeris's house and garden in sheer wonder and disbelief, finding himself simply awestruck at the very sight of it all.

Cloud had never seen or even imagined a place so beautiful as this, and he especially wouldn't have expected to see it in the lower cities (the Slums) of Midgar, the place that the sun had never shone down upon, below the Plate. Aeris giggled in clear amusement, seeing the stunned expression on Cloud's face.

"You really weren't expecting this at all, were you? Ha, I guess earlier I should've told you more about where I live. Yes Cloud, all of this is my home, where I've lived ever since I was seven, fifteen years ago. I planted the garden myself, with some good help from mother nature, of course. Come on Cloud, come on inside the house, and meet my mom. Oh, and do you like my house and my garden?" asked Aeris, cheerfully, grinning and chuckling at Cloud's surprised and astonished look.

"It's...beautiful. I just can't believe it…how can such plants and flowers grow so well and vastly within such a desolate hell hole like the Slums of Midgar?" asked Cloud, still stunned and speechless.

How could Aeris possibly have made and planted such a wonderful place in the Slums of Midgar? It made no sense at all, no sense whatsoever, and it was yet another very odd thing about her, one of her unique talents, it seemed.

        This girl seemed more and more mysterious to Cloud the more he knew her, and he found himself constantly wondering how on earth she processed these unique abilities. Aeris' smile grew wider on her flawless face.

"I know that many people in the Slums still refuse to believe that it's here as they pass. Anyway, I had best go inside now, so come on in with me. I think you should be introduced to my mom. Come on, let's go in," said Aeris.

"You want me to come inside too?" asked Cloud, surprised, as he snapped out of his previous train of thought. Aeris sighed in exasperation.

"Well, you've got to at least allow me to let you have something to eat or some rest for what you did back there. I've never known anyone to stand up to the Turks like that before," said Aeris, gazing at Cloud in clear admiration. Cloud swallowed hard in his throat at her gaze, and angrily kept himself from blushing, though he looked embarrassed.

"Well, no one's had quite the same history as I've had," said Cloud, awkwardly, as Aeris still gazed unwaveringly at him, looking intrigued.

"Really, how come? Because you used to be in SOLDIER?" asked Aeris, eagerly, clearly curious about the subject.

"It's a long story, and I haven't got the time for it," replied Cloud, quickly.

"Well, maybe one day in the not too distant future, you'll have the time to tell me all about it," said Aeris, grinning, her beautiful emerald green eyes sparkling.

"Just what the heck do you mean by that?" asked Cloud, surprised by the odd statement. Aeris grinned knowingly.

"Oh, you'll see. Besides, I still owe you a date for your reliable services as my bodyguard earlier," said Aeris, smiling, while Cloud stared back at her in surprise, trying to steady a constant beating that had just erupted inside his chest, but he did not succeeding, much to his irritation.

Aeris and Cloud both then walked through the front door and into Aeris' house, and into the fairly big living room that occupied the whole downstairs floor. Aeris' house was neat and tidy, and not one bit out of place, every part of it being well ordered and polished.

The whole place seemed so neat and clean that it was almost shining. Having heard the tapping sound of footsteps enter through the front door, a middle-aged woman, looking neither young nor old, walked up to them, and smiled warmly when she saw Aeris.

"I'm home, mom," said Aeris, with a cheerful grin.

Aeris' mother had an identical brown hair colour to Aeris, and she wore a white apron over a green dress. Her name was Elmyra Gainsborough. Elmyra rushed over to Aeris at once, and hugged her tightly when Aeris came in, and Aeris returned the embrace with equal affection.

        Elmyra then looked behind Aeris' shoulder and noticed Cloud standing there, so she let go of Aeris and smiled, though she looked a little puzzled and suspicious towards Cloud, but spoke to him politely.

        "Oh, forgive me, sir. I'm just glad to see that my little girl is home safe and sound in these dark times. Please come in," said Elmyra, bowing politely. Cloud just shrugged in response, and he walked over to Aeris and Elmyra, as Aeris eagerly introduced him at once.

        "(Mom's not going to believe what I have to tell her this time. Telling her about yesterday was interesting enough for her, but even more things happened today,)" thought Aeris.

        "Mom, this is Cloud Strife, he's my bodyguard for today only. He protected me in the church and on the way home from the Turks of Shinra. He's also the same guy who saved me on the train last night from Vulcue and his men, like I'd told you when I got back," said Aeris. Elmyra's eyes widened at once, in alarm and anxiety.

        "A bodyguard, whatever for!? You mean you were followed and attacked yet again by Shinra!? Are you alright, dear!? You're not hurt, are you!?" asked Elmyra, frantic with worry and concern. Aeris smiled back at her in reassurance.

        "I'm alright, mom. I had Cloud with me at the time, and he protected me from them when they showed up inside the church," replied Aeris. Elmyra sighed in clear relief, and glanced over at Cloud.

        "Thank you so much, Mr Strife. My daughter's life is so precious to me, and I cannot thank you enough. Oh, and my name is Elmyra, by the way. Please excuse me for a moment; I have some laundry to sort out upstairs. Please make yourself comfortable," said Elmyra, gratefully, bowing politely. Elmyra then walked away, but paused and glanced back at Aeris, looking stern now.

        "I'm going upstairs to get ready for bed, it's getting quite late now. Aeris, you should be doing the same soon. It sounds you've had quite a day, after all," said Elmyra. Aeris nodded in agreement, and her mother then walked upstairs. Aeris turned to face Cloud and spoke to him the moment her mother was out of earshot.

        "So then, what are you going to do tomorrow, Cloud? Got anything planned out at all? Like trying to find your way back to AVALANCHE?" asked Aeris, clearly very curious to know the answer. Cloud gaped at her in shock, quite taken aback.

        "How...how the hell did you know I was...was working for AVALANCHE? I never even said anything about it," said Cloud, numbly, though he then realized that the President, having seen him, must have exposed him to the public.

"I had already figured that out on the train the other night, don't you remember? And there's been news reports about yet another bombing, but thankfully without severe causalities, and full descriptions of the ones responsible were announced. And earlier on, you told me that you'd fallen from a Reactor bridge, right?" questioned Aeris, knowingly. Cloud knew there was no point denying it now.

        "Yeah, I do work for AVALANCHE, at least for now, and now that I'm being hunted down by Shinra, I may as well go back to them, even though they might think I'm dead. So then, are the Sector 7 Slums far from here by foot? I want to go to Tifa's Seventh Heaven bar. That's where they're based at," explained Cloud. Aeris suddenly had a big, wide grin on her face, as if an amusing thought had occurred to her.

        "Tifa's bar, huh? Sounds like the name of a person. So is Tifa...a girl, by any chance?" asked Aeris, teasingly, with another knowing smirk.

        "Yeah…" replied Cloud, bewildered, completely obvious as to what this had to do with anything. Aeris' grin grew wider, and she sniggered slightly.

        "So if you know her well, and if she's a girl...does that mean she's a girlfriend of yours?" asked Aeris, with a great deal of curiosity and interest, grinning broadly in amusement. Cloud jumped in surprise and tension at her words, taken aback by the sudden mention of it.

        "A g-girlfriend…? Uh…well, um…no way!" stuttered Cloud, embarrassed, and avoiding her gaze at once. Aeris giggled and laughed at his reaction.

        "Hey relax, you don't have to get that awkward about it, you know. Well anyway, that's nice to know. Now let's see, you want to get to the Sector 7 Slums…? It's not all that far from here, if we travel across Sector 6. I'll just show you the way there," said Aeris. Cloud shook his head firmly, not wanting her to come at all, in case she might get seriously involved.

        "You've got to be kidding me, you're not going along, it's gonna be too dangerous for you. Okay, I agree that you've got some good skill with your staff even if you haven't got all that much brute strength, and you certainly have a lot of potential with Materia, but why would you want to put yourself in danger, again, so soon after escaping the Turks?" asked Cloud, raising an eyebrow.

        "Hey, I'm just far too used to being in trouble by now to get worried all that much about it, I guess," replied Aeris, casually, shrugging. Cloud's eyes widened in shock, incredulous at the very thought of it.

        "U-Used to being in trouble!? Just how the heck do you get by in Midgar, with that sort of life? But uh, well…I really don't know…about getting help like this from a girl and everything…" said Cloud, uneasily.

Aeris suddenly became annoyed, as she frowned and (in her case) showed a rare state of indignant anger, as she shouted out at him, startling Cloud slightly.

"Getting help from a girl!? And just what do you mean by that, huh!? You'd refuse my help just because I'm a girl, and you think I'd be helpless because of it!? Well, do you honestly expect me to just stand by and listen after I hear you say something like that!? HA! Yeah, right! Mom, I'm taking Cloud over to the Sector 7 Slums for a while! I'll be back home soon!" shouted Aeris, firmly. At once, Elmyra rushed back down the stairs and walked towards them, clearly disappointed to hear Aeris' decision.

        "But dear…oh never mind, I may as well just give up. You never listen to anyone once you've made up your mind about something, there's just no changing it. You're just far too stubborn sometimes. There's no point in talking you out of anything, now is there? But if you must go to Sector 7, then why don't you go tomorrow? It's getting quite late now as it is," said Elmyra.

        "Yeah, you're right, mom. I'll get going with Cloud tomorrow," replied Aeris, nodding in agreement, as she yawned slightly. Cloud wasn't sure if he wanted to wait until tomorrow to get back, but decided not to make an issue of it, and to wait for another day.

        "Aeris, please go and sort out your bed, and the spare bed for Cloud," said Elmyra. Aeris nodded in response, and she walked off upstairs, while Elmyra then turned to face Cloud, speaking to him once Aeris was out of earshot.

        "Excuse me, Mr Strife? There's something important that I would like to ask of you for a moment. I've noticed the particular uniform you have on, and that strange glow in your eyes, and that can only mean one thing…you're from SOLDIER, aren't you?" asked Elmyra, suspiciously.

        Cloud was slightly taken aback that she'd figured it so quickly, but then again, if her daughter knew all about the glowing Mako eyes, then why not Elmyra too? He still disliked her distrusting tone, though.

        "Yeah, that's right…or rather, I USED to be one," replied Cloud, sharply, nodding coldly at her, looking icy and indifferent towards her suspicions. Elmyra looked awkward, but seemed to have a lot more to say.

"Well, in that case…I don't really know how to say this politely, but would you please just leave here tonight? Without telling Aeris about it. I worry about my daughter leaving the house, and you've probably already figured out why that is by now. And Aeris seems so fond of you, that's another reason why you should leave here without her knowing about it. Aeris once had a boyfriend who ran off to a mission in SOLDIER five years ago, and he never came back to her...we never even heard from him at all. He too was a SOLDIER, like you were…so the very last thing that Aeris needs is to get her feelings hurt like that again. It would be for the best if you just left now, for her sake," said Elmyra, sincerely.

Cloud's cold icy look vanished at once as his eyes widened in surprise, stunned by what he had just heard, and then he looked doubtful as he thought more about what Elmyra had asked her to do.

"(She had a boyfriend from SOLDIER? Well, that certainly explains how she seems to know so much about SOLDIER, the guy must have told her about those facts. Were the two of them serious though? By the sound of it, I suspect they might have been…and I wonder what kind of mission her boyfriend was sent on, and why he didn't come back. Maybe he's…)" pondered Cloud, thoughtfully, before he answered back.

"Uh…well, sure. I guess I could just leave here by myself then. Besides, I had originally intended to go back to Sector 7 by myself anyway," said Cloud, doubtfully, still a little taken aback by what Elmyra had just told him.

        Elmyra sighed heavily and nodded, saying nothing more about it, and then she slowly walked away, clearly lost in thought for a long moment.

"(Am I really doing the right thing by asking him to leave now? Aeris might get upset about it, but it might it better than the possible pain she might face, like she experienced before, and that took her years to recover from. She might not forgive me for this though…and she's not a child anymore, so she does have every right to go with Cloud if she wants too…I just don't know what I'm supposed to choose to decide what would be best for her…)" thought Elmyra, solemnly.

Alone in the room now, Cloud stood still and silent for a moment, surprised about what Elmyra had said about Aeris, though it certainly explained how Aeris knew about his glowing eyes, and how she had recognized that he'd been in SOLDIER because of it.

Deciding that he'd better just get some brief rest quickly before setting off alone, Cloud went upstairs where Aeris was waiting for him patiently, obvious to the conversation that had happened between Cloud and her mother earlier.

        Aeris smiled politely when she saw Cloud, who was filled with even more pity for her now, as well as concern, though he hid all signs of that from Aeris.

        First she had the many struggles from escaping the Turks, and now he had just found out she had once suffered severe heartbreak too.

        It sounded as though Aeris had lived a tough life, and he was astonished at how cheerful and carefree she still seemed, despite suffering all this inner turmoil, and he had a good deal of respect for the flower girl because of it. She seemed to process a very strong, truly unbreakable spirit. Aeris then spoke up to Cloud, driving him out of his thoughts.

"Cloud, I've just made sure that your room for tonight is all ready. And there's something else that you'll need to know for tomorrow. You need to go through the Slums of Sector 6 in order to get into the Sector 7 Slums. But Sector 6 is a little dangerous for people just passing through, and Sector 7 is a little far from here, so you'd better get some nice rest tonight, for the journey. So good night, Cloud...and thank you," said Aeris, softly, smiling warmly as she leaned over and kissed Cloud deeply on the cheek for a moment, and after winking at him, she then went into her own room, closing the door gently behind her.

        "Oh man, I've really done it to myself this time...yet again…" muttered Cloud, glumly, wondering how he ever got himself into these difficult emotional situations, and with a weary sigh, he went to the bedroom on the left of the upstairs floor, while Aeris was in the bedroom on the right. Cloud went in his room for the night, and collapsed onto the bed at once in exhaustion, sleeping almost instantly.

While he was dreaming, a voice suddenly seemed to speak to him inside his mind, the same strange voice that he had heard from Mako Reactor N01, and at the church, as it suddenly spoke to him again from his mind.

        "You sure do seem pretty tired all of a sudden. It's been quite a while since you've slept like this, right? Yes, you haven't slept in a bed like this for a long time now..." said the mysterious voice.

        "Oh yeah, I know..." muttered Cloud, sleepily, and in his drowsy state, he did not quite realize what was happening yet, as the voice then spoke up inside his mind once more, still talking about the past.

"Ever since the week before that fateful day years ago…" said the strange voice, once again with no emotion or tone to it whatsoever.

        Suddenly, Cloud realized with alarm exactly what was happening now, but before he could speak up angrily to the voice to demand who it was and how this strange connection kept happening, Cloud's mind quickly flashed back to a sudden scene that took place five years ago in his own house at his hometown, Nibelheim, during his reunion to the town following a two year absence when in SOLDIER...

        _Mrs Strife paced about the large main room of her bungalow house excitedly, looking highly delighted indeed. She stopped pacing, and looked proudly at Cloud, who lay on his bed nearby, fully awake. _

_        The sheer resemblance between them was uncanny, with the colour of their eyes and hair being exactly identical to each other. Smiling, Mrs Strife then spoke up to her son, who still lay listening on his bed._

_        "My, I still can't believe how much you've grown in these last two years, since the last time I saw you. I'll bet that the girls never leave you alone anymore," said Mrs Strife, with a teasing grin._

_"No, not really, mom. I think there's been some interest, but I've never really paid attention," replied Cloud, shortly. His mother suddenly seemed rather anxious, and the grin faded from her face._

_        "I'm worried about you, Cloud. It has been said that there are a lot of temptations like that in the city of Midgar, especially in Wall Market. Because of all that, I'd just feel a lot better knowing if you would just settle down someday, and find a nice girlfriend that you want to spend the rest of your life with," said Mrs Strife._

_        "I'm alright, I can take care of myself, mom," replied Cloud, calmly, in a tone that suggested he didn't want to talk anymore about it, but his mother took no notice, and still did not drop the subject._

_"I think you should have an older girlfriend, Cloud. One that always will look out for you, and take care of you. The kind of girl who is a little more mature than you...the type that will keep tugging at your sleeve, pull you along the way. I think that would be the perfect type of girlfriend for you," said Mrs Strife, thoughtfully. Cloud shook his head firmly, getting annoyed with the subject now._

_        "I'm just…not interested in that relationship stuff, mom. I just want to do my job well, that's all," replied Cloud, uneasily, as his mother sighed in exasperation, and reluctantly let the subject drop for now._

The flashback abruptly ended at that point, and Cloud then woke up, hours later than when he'd drifted off to sleep, in the spare bedroom in Aeris' house. Cloud got up from the bed, yawning sleepily, before becoming fully awake and alert. The strange voice, though, had vanished from his mind yet again, and Cloud had a feeling it wouldn't be for the last time.

        "(Damn, I must have just fallen asleep and slept in for longer than I had intended to. I better get going now then, before Aeris wakes up. The Slums of Sector 7 are past the Sector 6 Slums, and Aeris said that I have to go through there. I should be alright by myself anyway,)" thought Cloud, and he quietly walked out the bedroom door, but he had pushed it open a little louder than he had intended.

Suddenly, Aeris had heard Cloud coming out of the room because of this, and she ran out of her room, startled, and then she sighed in relief as she saw Cloud and walked up to him, while Cloud smacked his forehead in annoyance.

"Cloud, could you please stop sneaking around here? For a moment there, I had this nasty thought that the Turks had come back here to try and capture me yet again. Now please just get some rest," said Aeris, gently shoving Cloud back into the room and closing the door behind him. Cloud groaned to himself, as he knew she might be onto his plan now.

Some moments later, Cloud tried to think of a way to get out of the house without being caught by Aeris this time. Slowly, he pushed the door open without making a noticeable creak of noise, and he slowly stepped out of the room, keeping very silent and creeping past Aeris' bedroom door.

Cloud then quietly walked down the stairs, making barely any sound this time as he slowly made his way down there, and he was downstairs, just in front of the front door, without Aeris knowing about it.

Cloud was genuinely sorry to have to say goodbye to Aeris so soon, and he hoped that he would be able to see her again someday, although he was getting worried about Tifa and the others, and how worried Tifa must be about him.

Cloud was then just about to walk right out the front door of the house, when Elmyra Gainsborough, noticing him there in the room, suddenly walked up to him, and Cloud stopped abruptly in his tracks, sensing she had something important that she wanted to say.

"Cloud, I thank you for this, but I have just one last favour that I would like to ask you. I've thought a lot more about this whole subject, and I've decided what really would be best for my daughter. I want you to take Aeris with you, on your journey back to Sector 7," said Elmyra.

"What...?" asked Cloud, struck stunned and speechless for a moment, not believing what he had just heard, confused about the fact that Elmyra had changed her mind so quickly about the subject.

"Listen to me for a moment, Cloud...for the past fifteen years of my daughter's life, she's been hunted down mercilessly by the Turks of Shinra. Please don't ask me why they hunt her down. I know the basic reasons for it, but I don't have the right to tell you. All I can say right now is that you faced off against the Turks by yourself, from what Aeris told me, and she would never lie about this sort of thing. So I trust that you can look after her, against Shinra and the Turks, far better than I will ever be able to now. I have changed my mind, and Aeris can go with you, for her own safety. I believe that is also what she wants, as well. She's already sneaked out just now, before you came down here, without you knowing it. She's waiting for you now, just outside the Sector 5 Slums," explained Elmyra.

Full of shock and disbelief, but also filled with pity and concern for Aeris, Cloud sighed heavily, and shook his head wearily, really not knowing what to do now, if he should bring Aeris with him to Sector 7 or not.

"Mrs Gainsborough, you don't really even know who I am or what I do. So how can you trust me just like that?" asked Cloud, surprised. Elmyra sighed wearily, shaking her head, as she answered.

"I can't explain it right now. Just promise me that you'll do it, Cloud. Promise me that you'll take good care of her on your way back to Sector 7," said Elmyra. Cloud sighed heavily, and finally gave in, to his reluctance.

"Alright then…if Aeris really does want to come along with me back to Sector 7, then I'll take her along too," said Cloud, firmly. Elmyra bowed gratefully.

"Thank you for this, Mr Strife. Please take good care of Aeris, I would like, more than anything, to see her to come back safely home again after your business at Sector 7 is over," said Elmyra, and she then walked away, going back upstairs, as Cloud then walked out of the front door, and out of the house, lost in his own thoughts.


	15. Sector 5: Meeting In The Playground

_Chapter 15_ _A Meeting In The Playground_

Having left the area of Aeris' house behind, Cloud silently walked through and past the Slums of Sector 5, constantly wondering about a lot of various things, like Aeris, AVALANCHE, and the threat of Shinra Incorporated.

He still felt thoroughly uneasy about bringing Aeris along with him, feeling that it would be seriously endangering her life if she did indeed come. He tried to insist to himself that she would be alright if he kept an eye on her, but he still couldn't help but feel some sort of strange dread.

And he wondered how the rest of AVALANCHE, especially Tifa, would react if he returned, since they had all thought that he had fallen to his death no more than a day ago at the Mako Reactor N05.

He also had no idea if Aeris would even be welcomed into AVALANCHE in the first place; after all, at first glance she only seemed like a flower girl and a common citizen, so they would certainly question what use she would be to them.

Cloud knew now though that there was far more to her than that. And then there was the fact that Shinra now knew his exact appearance and identity, so he was certainly going to have trouble with them, regardless of whether he stayed in AVALANCHE or not.

And if that was the case of the matter, then being in AVALANCHE offered more protection from Shinra Incorporated; than from being outside the rebel group, so Cloud knew he may as well join up with them again for his own sake. Despite that, he still fully intended on receiving more of his payments for the missions that AVALANCHE would carry out.

Cloud continued to walk along the road in the area of Sector 5, just outside the Slums themselves, and he soon found Aeris further up the path, waiting for him along the road by an archway, just like Elmyra had said she would, although he was still uneasy and doubtful about Aeris coming with him, not wanting to put her at serious risk. But before Cloud could say anything, Aeris quickly spoke up first, sensing his obvious doubt, and tried to convince him otherwise.

        "Hey there, Cloud. Fancy meeting you here. You're sure up awfully bright and early, earlier than we'd agreed, so I think that means you had some sort of motive to just leave me behind, right? Did you really think that I would just let you go on alone, that I wouldn't suspect you might try something like this?" asked Aeris, grinning.

        "Aeris, just how could I bring myself to ask you to come along with me back to AVALANCHE'S base, when I knew that it would be far too dangerous for you of all people to get involved in something like this?" asked Cloud. Aeris faked a yawn, and gave Cloud a look that plainly told him there was no way he was going to change her mind.

"Are you finally done with all this talk of the risks of getting involved yet? I'm wondering how many more times I'll have to endure it for. Cloud, I know perfectly well what I'm getting myself into here, and I'm still going, so just please drop the concern, however much I appreciate it. Anyway, let's just get going now. Like I told you yesterday, you have to go through the Slums of Sector 6 in order to get to Sector 7, and into Tifa's 7th heaven bar. I'll take you over to there now, so come on. But we'd better be careful along this path," said Aeris.

"You know something Aeris, your mother was absolutely right…you really can be far too stubborn once you've made up your mind," muttered Cloud, darkly, with a frown. Aeris choose to ignore this statement, and she simply walked on past the archway, and after a sigh of defeat and annoyance, Cloud followed her along the path up ahead.

They walked through the archway in path of the road, and they then came to a ruined, cracked and abandoned road. Cloud could see why the journey to Sector 6 was dangerous, if people used this road.

There were large cracks in the ground as if a big earthquake had went through it, and several sorts of jink lay littered all over the place, all of this making the journey through this road difficult.

Beggars could never be choosers though, and if this was the quickest way to Sector 7, then he would take it, so Cloud merely walked along the strange road without comment, as Aeris quietly followed him as well.

They made their way along it as best they could, and after overcoming the cracks and the obstacles in the road, they left it behind, and came to a small playground along the path. Looking ahead in the distance, Cloud saw with satisfaction that the gate to Sector 7 was just beyond it the playground.

Suddenly, before they could move forwards another step, the bizarre and sickening sight of seven big worm-like creatures greeted Cloud and Aeris, with sharp prongs protruding from the centre of their heads, and razor sharp claws poking out from their sides, and several sharp teeth from their face, though they had no eyes, nor a nose, nor ears either.

Sensing that these monstrous things, whatever they were, wanted some early breakfast, Cloud at once readied his large sword from its sheath behind his back and held his gigantic blade tightly in his hands, while Aeris quickly got out her long but tough quarterstaff, and held it firmly in her hands.

Before the monsters come and could attack them, Cloud quickly sprang into action and ran forwards, charging at one of the creatures, and he swung his sword right at it, splitting the creature open in two at a straight angle that went right through its body with the blade, killing the creature instantly, as the thing's corpse fell to the ground in two pieces, covered with green gooey stuff that appeared to be the thing's blood.

Aeris, meanwhile, leapt forwards with surprising grace in her long pink dress, and as she neared the monsters, she swung and rammed her solid wooden staff, with all her might, sending it straight into the skull of one of the creatures, and the thing's bizarre head smashed and caved in like a sponge, killing it instantly.

Cloud quickly leapt backwards as one of the creatures tried to bite him across the arm with its sharp teeth, and successfully dodged it in time, but was then forced to duck as the thing aimed a swipe at him with its claws, but missed again.

Then Cloud immediately caught the creature by surprise when he unexpectedly charged and head-butted it hard to the ground, after which Cloud proceeded to slash his sword into its wriggling body, and slice it relentlessly into dozens of pieces, killing it instantly.

But it was Aeris who completed the fight, and in dramatic style, when she mysteriously caused her quarterstaff to float in midair, her hands now no longer touching it at all, and one of the Materia equipped on her now floating staff suddenly flared to life at once, glowing brightly.

Bewildered and dumbfounded with astonishment at what he was seeing, Cloud simply gaped and watched as green light suddenly burst from the ground beneath Aeris' feet, as several hot flames appeared out of nowhere and directly struck the four remaining creatures, and set them all on fire at once, the flames endlessly searing the very flesh of the shrieking creatures, and the flames still burned on, quickly reducing the monsters to mere ashes in a few moments.

Cloud just stood still on the spot, absolutely flabbergasted, while Aeris reached out and took her floating staff, holding it tightly in her hands again. She certainly did have an exceptional amount of potential in Magic and Materia.

"(Man, Aeris never fails to amaze me. Now she's burned four creatures to death at the same time, and with powerful magic. How is she able to do all this?)" wondered Cloud.

Cloud had, of course, already guessed that from the way she skilfully used her staff despite her rather weak strength, Aeris possessed some strange, astonishing powers, but even after seeing her unique magic abilities, never did he expect that she would be able to make things levitate too. Just how was that even possible? Just what else could she do that he still didn't know about?

So far, he knew that Aeris was able to make flowers in a city with no sunlight or rain, was able to fully heal Cloud on the brink of his death, was able to wield a long, solid wooden staff skilfully in battle even though she was physically weak, was able to grow magnificent gardens in the city of darkness and nightmares, able to use master and use Materia amazingly well with great force, was able to seal people's movements, and was now able to make her staff levitate in mid-air.

The more time he spent with her, the more Cloud realised that there was definitely something very strange and special about Aeris somehow, something that made her very different to everyone else.

And he realised at once that it must have something to do with the real reason why Shinra Incorporated were after her so urgently, but he could not imagine what the exact reason for it all was. Maybe there was something important she could do for them, and he simply might not know yet what it was…

Aeris Gainsborough was the nicest, most generous and most gentle person that Cloud had ever met. Cloud liked her a lot, but there was definitely something unusual about her. Why did Aeris have these amazing, unique powers, and just what were Shinra's real intentions for her?

Lost in his own thoughts for a long moment, Cloud found himself wondering more and more about Aeris for the next few minutes as he and Aeris continued silently along the path of the road, nearing the playground and the front gate of the Sector 7 Slums behind it.

Meanwhile, back at the Sector 7 Slums in Tifa's Seventh Heaven bar, the rest of the AVALANCHE anti-Shinra terrorist rebel group were by themselves and sitting down on stools in the bar, having all got back safely from the Mako Reactor N05, after it had successfully been destroyed. But since they got back, the mood in the bar was never one of celebration, it was one of mournful anxiety, as far as Tifa was concerned.

Tifa Lockhart paced back and forth nervously behind the bar counter, worrying frantically about Cloud ever since she had since him fall from the bridge. She had gotten no sleep the other night at all, as she had been far too worried and fearful about Cloud to get all that much rest.

The rest of the AVALANCHE group gradually became more and more agitated themselves, as they watched Tifa ceaselessly pacing behind the counter, completely worried about Cloud, fearing what might have happened to him. After another long moment of silence, Barret and the others finally couldn't take it the mood in the bar anymore.

"Alright, that's it, I've had enough of this! I'm leaving to go find out where Cloud fell down, once and for all, to found out what really happened to him!" shouted Biggs, and he started to storm out of the bar, but Wedge and Jessie, who were now blocking the entrance, quickly stopped him, shaking their heads, clearly indicating that they weren't letting him go anywhere at the moment. Biggs gave up trying to leave, and he turned to face Tifa, looked irritated.

        "Damn it, Tifa! Would you please just stand still and stop worrying so much about Cloud already, the guy can take care of himself! After all, he's an Ex-SOLDIER, remember? Trust me, he'll come back here with nothing hurt, except maybe his pride," said Biggs, firmly.

Tifa nodded slowly at Biggs, but she was still very worried, despite his words. Tifa had been worried and jittery every since she had witnessed Cloud falling off that Reactor bridge, and she always wondered ever since then if he was okay or even alive, and hoping so desperately that he was alright, longing to see him again, insisting to herself that he must have found some way to survive.

"(Cloud's still alive, he just has to be. He can't die, not before I ever had the chance to know why he seemed to be so different from how he was back in Nibelheim, and just how does he remember things he shouldn't know about? It's all my fault this has happened, I was the one who got Cloud involved in all of this. Cloud's got to be alive, he wouldn't die so easily, he'll be back here any moment for all we know,)" thought Tifa, trying to stay optimistic, refusing to give up hope and believe that Cloud really was gone for good.

Just then, the front doors of the bar suddenly swung wide open with a loud creak of noise, and Tifa spun around to stare in the direction of the front doors, a sudden rush of hope and excitement coursing through her.

But after seeing who had just arrived, she was gravely disappointed and her face fell, as a stranger entered the bar; a black man wearing black sunglasses and a pink and yellow shirt with blue jeans walked though the door, and sat on the empty available stool next to Barret, in front of Tifa, leering at her in a way she certainly didn't like.

The man's name was Kotch, and he didn't seem to have realised that he had just stepped into a bar full of dangerous wanted terrorists who were each already in a tense enough mood as it was.

Sensing the sudden deathly quiet silence that occupied the whole bar at his arrival, Kotch looked around at Tifa, Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie, not noticing their rather surprised and very irritated stares, and not hearing the sound of knuckles cracking as they each clenched their fists.

Thinking nothing more of it, Kotch just shrugged carelessly to himself, and turned back to face Tifa, still leering at her in that perverted way, and ignoring the others, who were all glaring hard at him.

        "Hey ya all, what's happening? Okay beautiful, go get those damn sweet legs of yours moving already, and get me a drink," said Kotch, rather rudely, and Tifa glared daggers at him, not making any move to do what he said.

Kotch laughed nastily, but Barret Wallace was certainly not amused, not at the sudden interruption this man has caused, nor at his sudden arrival despite the fact the bar was supposed to be closed at the moment, nor at Kotch's rude attitude towards them.

Barret turned in his stool to face Kotch, and gave him a very angry and nasty look, that clearly meant he was prepared to tear the guy to shreds at any moment's notice. Kotch noticed this look, stopped laughing at once, and let out a choked, terrified yelp, as he fully recognized Barret now.

"(Holy shit, that guy's an exact match for the description of the leader of AVALANCHE that President Shinra described in the latest news reports. This must be the guy…which means these others must be them too…and this place must be…oh shit, I'm dead meat here…)" thought Kotch, in sudden terror, and now he knew that he'd found AVALANCHE in Sector 7 as the Don of the Slums had ordered him to, but he hadn't seriously expected to find them, and now that he had, he had no idea whether or not he was going to make it back alive to Wall Market to tell the Don about it in the first place.

Barret stood up at once, standing as tall, as muscular and as imposing as ever, as he grabbed and picked up Kotch by his shirt collar, lifting him up so high and effortlessly that his feet were no longer touching the floor, and were left dangling in mid-air, and then Barret carried Kotch to the door, who was helplessly cowering in the big black man's grasp, unable to free himself, and completely overwhelmed by terror.

"Hey asshole, you listen to me, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once! You've got exactly fifteen seconds to tell me just what the bloody hell your damn problem is, pal!" roared Barret, angrily, burning with murderous rage, spit flying from his mouth onto Kotch's face.

Kotch was cowering and squirming in fear in Barret's strong grip, until Barret cursed violently and threw him hard with a loud thud to the floor, and Kotch let out a cry of pain, and sat whimpering on the floor, as Barret glared down at him, his gun-arm aimed at his head.

"…D-Don Corneo, m-man…" stammered Kotch, clearly shaking wildly all over. He was clearly absolutely terrified and fearful of Barret, and continued to explain in a frantic and desperate tone of voice, not daring to get up.

"Don Corneo's up to nothing, he's just looking out for a bride, that's all I know, I swear! And if you take that gorgeous girl behind the bar counter to him, you'll make a fortune! After all, to make a living around here, you've got to take what comes your way, right?" said Kotch, nervously, terrified and shaking on the floor.

Barret took a short step backwards from him, and frowned in thought for a moment, holding his chin in his one remaining hand, and it seemed like he was considering what Kotch was saying. Kotch let out a sigh of relief.

But just then, suddenly catching Kotch completely off guard, Barret reached down in a flash and tightly picked up Kotch from the floor, and then he effortlessly threw straight him out of the front doors of the bar, sending Kotch flying into the doors with a loud thud, and as they burst open, he was sent tumbling hard down the front stairs, and he crumpled to a halt at the bottom of them, whimpering in clear pain, as he lay sprawled and bleeding on the ground.

"(Damn cocky shit's gonna regret he ever dared to step into this bar, and treat us like nothing. And there's no way he's gonna think about Tifa like that,)" thought Barret, enraged.

Barret stormed out of the front doors of the bar, glaring down at Kotch who screamed in terror at the sight of the murderous looking big black man, and at once tried to scramble up to his feet and flee far away.

But Barret wasn't finished with him yet, as he snarled down at him, and then aimed his gun-arm right at Kotch just as he got to his feet, and then Barret relentlessly opened fire on the ground right around Kotch at once.

Kotch managed to run and get away only just in time to avoid being shot repeatedly to death, and he ran away as fast as he could, screaming in overwhelming fear and terror, back to the Sector 6 Slums.

Don's orders or not, there was certainly no way he would ever go back to the Slums of Sector 7 again, now that he knew Barret and AVALANCHE was residing there. Barret merely glared after the panicked Kotch, not bothering to waste his time by going after him. Kotch was completely worthless to him as far he was concerned.

"And don't you ever dare come back here, ya pathetic, lousy roach! If I see you step one foot in this Sector ever again, I'll fill your whole damn guts up with bullets, and blast them all to bits!" roared Barret, with such intense rage and seriousness that the people in the area who overheard this flinched in fear, and moved away from the source of noise at once.

Without another look back at where Kotch had run off to, Barret stormed irritably through the front doors and back into the bar, as the rest of the AVALANCHE group were staring and gaping at him in amazement, almost all of them wide eyed in disbelief.

"(Whoa, I really forget sometimes how bad Barret's temper can be, I always thought it was suicide to get him annoyed, and it looks like I was right…well almost,)" thought Biggs.

Tifa, however, alone looked unsurprised by what had just happened moments ago, instead she was silent in deep thought about what Kotch had said about Don Corneo.

"(Didn't that man say Corneo was up to nothing? But we never even asked him about the Don, so why would he say that? Maybe it's because Corneo IS up to something, and it must be to do with us…)" thought Tifa, as Barret shouted out to the others angrily.

"What the hell are all you lot gawping at!? You all look like a bunch of damn stupid morons, now just get a grip, ya fools!" shouted Barret. Wedge then walked up to Barret, and spoke up to him nervously.

"Barret, you were listening to what that guy was saying back there, right? Well then, don't you remember Don Corneo at all? He's one of Shinra Incorporated's top businessmen, and has plenty of useful resources and subordinates in Wall Market, which he pretty much takes total charge of. He gets all his funding from Shinra in exchange for doing other services for them, such as assassinations, spying, and mostly giving Shinra crucial information about various things that they would want to know about," explained Wedge.

Barret's eyes widened in surprise at Wedge's explanation, and he cursed furiously to himself, realising that he had just missed out on a great opportunity to get some good secretive information about Shinra, and what they might be up to that concerned AVALANCHE. Barret swiftly looked outside the bar, but Kotch was already long gone by now. Jessie sighed and shook her head.

"That's definitely not good, Barret. It's way too late to find out anything now. The guy's probably gone back to Don Corneo, and he's going to tell him about the beating you gave him. He's not coming back here again, and you could have forced him to give you far more useful information about Shinra, and their latest plans," said Jessie.

"The little jerk had it coming to him from the moment he stepped in here and treated us like nothing…" muttered Barret, angrily, thoroughly annoyed with himself, furious that he could have been so stupid to make such a big mistake.

"(I could just hack into Shinra's Internet to find out more data about them, but then again, the Don and his men might know something that's not on the web…something that Shinra really don't want anyone else to know about…)" thought Jessie, not liking the sound of that.

Having been silent for a while, with her mind fully made up about the subject, and knowing what she had to do, Tifa came out from behind the counter, and she stepped into the middle of the group, as she turned to face Barret. Everyone focused their attention towards her, as she began to speak.

"That guy back there said something that made me think that the Don might be planning something to do with us, that Shinra might also be involved in. He's gone off now, and we can't catch up to him before he gets back to Wall Market, but maybe there is still a chance for us to find out what Corneo is really up to. It will be dangerous though, and we shouldn't travel together as a group, it'll look too suspicious, so only one of us should go. Since it's my idea, I'll go there myself. You guys should all stay here, but if I plant a hidden radio device on me, then you should be able to hear what's going on from over here, on a radio," said Tifa.

Having been listening intently to this, the rest of the group thought carefully about this plan, until Barret finally nodded, his mind made up.

"Well, I'd prefer it if you just left the leech alone, Tifa, I don't like the idea of you of all people going to a place like Wall Market with the sort of people that hang around there, even if you can take care of yourself. But if Shinra and the Don really are up to something, then I guess we ain't got no choice but to find out what it is, for our sake. So this plan sounds good enough to me. What exactly have you got in mind, anyway?" asked Barret, curiously, accepting the idea. For the first time since they had come back to Sector 7, a wide grin spread across Tifa's face, as she looked mischievous.

"Just wait and see what I've got in mind…" said Tifa, as she pulled a lever on the pinball machine elevator, and used it to go downstairs to the secret floor, and the others waited in the bar, each of them exchanging curious looks.

"What's she up to then, anyway? As far as I know, the only way she'll be able to find out more information from the Don would be to sneak into his mansion, and that place is always heavily guarded by his cronies," said Biggs, thoughtfully, and Wedge nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that's true, but there's an easy way to get in there, at least for girls. Like that strange man said, the Don's looking for a bride, so he gets three girls to enter his mansion so he can choose between them, and then, uh well…anyway, that might be what Tifa's planning to do," said Wedge.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't ever want to sneak into the Don's mansion, regardless of any intentions. I never want to get involved with a fat ugly man like Don Corneo in that way, and his cronies are just as dirty and sleazy as he is too. That place is every sane pretty girl's nightmare. Tifa's really got guts to carry out this plan, I've got to admit that," said Jessie, clearly quite impressed by that.

"Of course she has, she's always been a tough one, you lot should all know that perfectly well!" said Barret, incredulously, but just then, the pinball machine elevator came back up to the bar, and Tifa stood on it, wearing a sparking blue dress that seemed to highlight her every appealing feature. The others stared at her for a moment, and Tifa grinned.

"Okay guys, I'm ready and waiting to go. Let's just get this plan underway," said Tifa, confidently, and the others all got to work with sorting out the plan at once, as radio devices were then planted on her, and were carefully hidden.

Meanwhile, just outside the area of the Sector 7 Slums at that moment, Cloud and Aeris had both just arrived at the large playground just outside it, and not too far ahead, just within their sight, was the massive Sector 7 gate, towering about twenty-five feet high, and was even wider in width. Aeris smirked triumphantly, and turned to face Cloud.

"The entrance to the Sector 7 Slums is in there, through that gate. Just step through the gate, and you'll be there in no time," said Aeris, pointing to the large gate. Cloud nodded, satisfied that their way to Sector 7 was right after all.

        "Thanks a lot, Aeris. Well then…is this is goodbye now, or not? It's your own choice to make, Aeris, and I think it's time to decide about it now, once and for all…then there's no turning back. Are you going to go home, back to Sector 5, and not get involved…or do you want to join me, and go to AVALANCHE, to stand up against Shinra?" asked Cloud.

After coming to realise more and more that there were hidden depths to her talents, Cloud knew that Aeris would definitely be a great help to AVALANCHE, if they could only be willing to let her join, and he was sure that only Barret would complain about it. He waited intently for her answer, as Aeris thought a lot more about it.

"(Cloud's right, there's no turning back on this decision, once I've made it. If I go back home, Shinra will still come after me anyway and I'll won't have Cloud to help me, but if I go with him to AVALANCHE, then I'll face more trouble with Shinra, but I'll have better protection from them. I should go with Cloud to AVALANCHE…but I don't want them to blow up cities and kill so many people anymore. I have to convince them to stop that somehow as well…)" thought Aeris, as she finally spoke up.

        "Oh no, Cloud! Whatever am I do here, how will I ever be safe? Isn't that what you want me to say, Cloud, so that I'll go back home? Well sorry to disappoint you, but I want to come along too. But if I do, wouldn't I just be in your way?" asked Aeris, curiously, with some concern.

        "What do you mean that you'd just be in the way? You won't be, trust me. Besides, I've been doing some thinking, and I guess I wouldn't mind too much if you decided to join. Just come along, and I'll introduce you to the rest of the group, and they'll be impressed by your superb, unique magic abilities, and by your generosity, just like I am," said Cloud, with a careless shrug. Aeris smiled though, and blushed a little.

"Thanks a lot for understanding about it, Cloud. But I think I need to stop and get some rest, after all that walking to get here, so can we please just take a break first, before we go in?" asked Aeris, sounding a little tired.

Without even waiting for a response, Aeris walked over to a nearby slide, and Cloud shrugged and followed her without any comment. Aeris leaned against a rusty chain fence nearby and gazed around happily with fond remembrance at the small, now abandoned playground that stood before the gates to the Slums of Sector 7.

The small swing-set was rusted almost completely solid and creaked noisily in the slight breeze that drifted from the cracks in between the Plates far above. The slides, shaped like giant cuddly hamsters, hung their long tongues out to let the kids out that once crawled up through the other side. Charming, Cloud thought with a smirk, as Aeris stared at the slide.

"Wow, I can't believe it's all still here after all these years, I really thought for sure that Shinra would have it all taken down someday, and built something in place of it for their own purposes instead. I used to come and play here a lot when I was a little girl, but this place is old and dusty now, so nobody comes here anymore," explained Aeris. With a soft sigh, Aeris then moved towards the slide, and climbed its stairs, and then she sat on the very top of it, and waved over to Cloud.

"Cloud, over here. Come on up here," said Aeris, patting the space next to her on the top of the slide. Cloud merely shrugged, climbing up the stairs of the slide, and he sat right next to Aeris on the top of it. Aeris looked right at him.

        "(I'm not sure I want to talk about this…but I guess I've got to discuss it sometime, sooner or later, and it may as well be now, so I won't have to face the pain of it later,)" thought Aeris, as she slowly spoke up.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me, I don't think you've mentioned this to me yet. What rank were you when you were with them, Cloud?" asked Aeris, curiously, looking into his eyes.

        "What rank…with who…?" said Cloud, rather confused and bewildered about what she meant for a moment, staring blankly at her. Aeris sighed in exasperation.

        "You know…what rank in SOLDIER," said Aeris. Cloud's blank look vanished, as he understood her question at once, and thought back on it.

        "(What was my rank again? Wait…why can't I remember it, I should be able to know…no, I think I know what it was now, I faintly know it…)" thought Cloud, as he answered.

        "Oh, back when I was with them, I was a First-Class SOLDIER," replied Cloud, shortly, though he became a little perplexed when Aeris sighed in a sad, thoughtful way for some reason, and she seemed to be thinking to herself intently about something.

"That's sure a funny coincidence…that's exactly the same rank as he had too…" said Aeris, thoughtfully, more to herself than to Cloud, looking suddenly sorrowful.

        "The same rank as who, Aeris?" asked Cloud, curiously, although he suddenly remembered what Elmyra had said to him yesterday, and his eyes widened as he suspected he knew what Aeris was talking about.

        "The same rank as…my lost boyfriend…" replied Aeris, with a soft depressed sigh, and proving Cloud right.

Still though, it troubled Cloud to see the normally cheerful flower girl in such a miserable mood, despite all she'd been through with Shinra. Elmyra must have been right about the heartbreak Aeris had suffered after all.

Cloud remembered what Elmyra had told him before, the other day, about how Aeris had a boyfriend from SOLDIER, and how he had just disappeared without a trace five years ago on a mission, leaving Aeris heartbroken. Cloud hesitated a moment, before asking Aeris about her relationship with this mysterious First-Class SOLDIER

        "Were the two of you actually…serious in any way?" asked Cloud, quietly, feeling so full of concern and worry for her that he surprised and annoyed himself, to be caring so much about a girl that he had only met no more than two days ago.

After all, in recent times he had been only cold, indifferent and uncaring towards everyone he knew, except perhaps for Tifa. Aeris hesitated for a moment, looking clearly troubled, before finally answering Cloud's question, as she slowly shook her head in response.

"No…looking back on it, you couldn't really say that we were too serious about it, I guess. But I really liked him a lot for a long while, so back then, I thought that we really were serious. One day though, he went away on a mission five years ago, which he told me nothing about, and he never came back to Midgar at all. He was always a real ladies man, so it wouldn't surprise me if he just found someone else," replied Aeris.

Cloud seriously doubted this fact, though. He strongly suspected that her boyfriend could well have been killed in that mission, whatever it was, but he didn't dare tell Aeris about it, in case it would seriously upset her.

        "What was his full name, Aeris? I probably might have known him. After all, there aren't many people who make First Class in SOLDIER, so I think I'm bound to have known him at some point. You can tell me his name, and I'll can tell you if he's around or not," suggested Cloud. But to his surprise, Aeris shook her head in response.

        "It doesn't really matter to me anymore about what he's doing now, Cloud. That was ages ago, he's long gone from my life now," said Aeris, but looking sad all the same.

Cloud put an arm around her shoulder to comfort her as he sat right next to her on the slide. Aeris looked at him and smiled, moving closer, as they leaned against each other. They then both found themselves staring intently into each other's eyes, as their heads both slowly moved towards each other, their eyes closing, and their lips drawing ever closer…

Suddenly, there was a loud noise from behind them, and Cloud and Aeris both jumped and quickly drew away from each other on the top of the slide, embarrassed by what had almost happened. Feeling quite awkward and completely furious with himself for behaving like he did a moment ago, Cloud quickly looked behind him to see what had made the noise.

The large gates of the Sector 7 Slums had just opened up, and Cloud watched curiously as a carriage came through the gates, pulled along by a Chocobo (a tall yellow flightless bird standing at twelve feet tall, with a long neck, clear blue eyes, orange beak and a friendly if cautious nature, and was capable of running at very fast speeds on its tall orange legs, making it by far the fastest creature on the whole Planet).

At the back of the carriage though, was a beautiful girl wearing a stunning blue dress, whom strangely looked very familiar to Cloud, as he then focused his full attention onto the girl, puzzled by her identity for a moment. The girl looked back at him, and her eyes suddenly widened with shock and also with what seemed like tremendous relief and delight.

Cloud and the girl stared at each other for only an instant before the carriage went off, but Cloud at once recognized her beautiful brown eyes and black hair, and immediately realised who it was with immense shock, at once jumping up from the slide in a flash.

        "Huh, what the hell's going on here!? Hey, you back there, can you hear me or not!? Tifa, where the heck are you going!?" shouted Cloud, loudly, hoping that she could hear him from the carriage, but no answer came.

The carriage had now already left their sight, and went further down along the road. Aeris got up from the slide, staring after the road where the carriage had gone.

        "That girl in the carriage was Tifa? Where was she going off to then? She was dressed kind of strange for someone working in a terrorist rebel group, and she sure seemed a little anxious too," said Aeris.

"I have no idea where she's heading to, or why she would be going somewhere. It might be AVALANCHE'S latest plan against Shinra, but it doesn't seem like their other ones, so that might not be it either. But I'm going to find out where's she going to, and the reason she has, regardless of what it might be," said Cloud.

"You're right, Cloud, we've got to find out. I don't like the look of where that carriage was heading though, it seemed to be going in the direction of Wall Market, and that's the most dangerous place for girls around. Come on Cloud, let's follow her now before she gets too far ahead of us," said Aeris, and without another word, her mind fully made up, she then leaped off the slide, and quickly ran down along the path that the carriage had travelled down. Cloud stared after her in alarm, taken aback by her sudden pursuit of the carriage, and tried to yell after her.

        "Wait, Aeris, stop! I'll go to find Tifa alone! I'll go after her myself, just stay here, it's too dangerous!" shouted Cloud, loudly, with clear urgency.

But Aeris took no notice of Cloud at all, whether she heard him or not, and she kept running determinedly along the path of the road towards Wall Market without stopping. Cloud sighed heavily and leaping off the slide, he quickly followed her, and soon caught up with her, since he was much faster.

Deciding not to argue about the situation, Cloud and Aeris said nothing, and they both quickly ran along the road until they came to the Slums of Sector 6 (the Sector 6 Slums were also called and known as Wall Market).

The infamous and highly business-like Wall Market of the Sector 6 Slums was supposed to be the only place in lower Midgar where anything you wanted to find was possible to get, and the only place in lower Midgar where everything that you wanted to buy was available.

Judging from all of the salesman selling everything from deadly looking machine guns and bazookas to all sorts of other used material; Cloud guessed that all of the many rumours about this place might be true after all. After looking around urgently once they had entered Wall Market, Aeris turned to face Cloud, with a very anxious look on her face.


	16. Wall Market: Miss Cloud

_Chapter 16_ _Miss Cloud_

"You may already have figured it out, but this place can be quite scary in a lot of ways, Cloud. Especially for a girl. So we've got to find Tifa urgently, and fast. And other than the dodgy dealings that go on here, this place is by far the biggest market place in the Slums of Midgar. They've got stalls and stores with just about everything you could ever need to make a living in here. This includes stuff like weapons, Materia, restaurants, clothes, and just anything for a living down here. But it's a very big and crowded place. It's not easy to find someone around here," said Aeris, shaking her head.

Cloud nodded in agreement as he walked forwards along the path of Wall Market, noticing how the place seemed to be constantly bustling with activity, but then he suddenly tripped over some boxes in the middle of the path, not noticing them there or paying attention to where he was going, and fell over before he could stop himself, crashing headfirst into another pile of boxes with an angry curse.

"Cloud, what are you doing?" asked Aeris, with some clear exasperation in her voice, as she watched him stumble out of the boxes he'd fallen into. Cloud looked up, and glared at Aeris slightly, irritated.

"Oh don't mind me, I was just taking a nap," muttered Cloud, sarcastically, with a frown. Aeris sighed to herself, as she took his hand, and helped Cloud to his feet. Cloud got back up to his feet and let go of her hand, kicking some of the boxes hard in annoyance.

"How can this place be so popular, and yet so irritating at the same?" muttered Cloud, wondering how on earth they were going to find Tifa in this busy and crowded place.

"I just hope that travelling around with you in the future isn't going to be nearly as exasperating as this," said Aeris, with a shrug. At her words, Cloud jumped in surprise and stared at Aeris in shock.

"(The…the future!? Just what the heck does she mean by that? Don't tell me she's physic too, I mean if she is, then what else can she do, for god's sake! No…she can't tell what's going to happen in the future, otherwise she would have been better prepared for the Turks yesterday. She's probably just referring to after we go to AVALANCHE in Sector 7…yeah, that's probably it,)" thought Cloud, his astonishment vanishing as he realised this logic, and thought nothing more of it. Aeris didn't seem to notice Cloud's reaction though, as she continued to glance around the area for any signs of Tifa.

"Anyway, we should go and try to find Tifa now, before she gets into serious trouble here. But just where could she have gone off to, in the whole area of this big place?" wondered Aeris, thoughtfully.

Cloud simply shrugged, not having the slightest clue for any answer towards her question, but knew they had to keep looking nevertheless. With that, the two of them walked along all of Wall Market, looking carefully around the whole place through all the crowds there, searching everywhere in the area for what seemed to them like hours, but they just couldn't see Tifa anywhere at all.

Cloud and Aeris both knew that there was only one other place in Wall Market they hadn't checked yet, and it was the most dangerous one of all. It was Don Corneo's mansion, and the thought of Tifa being in that place troubled Cloud, and he quickly rushed in the direction of the mansion, with Aeris hastily following him as best she could. They then came to the mansion of Don Corneo himself, the last place in Wall Market to search for Tifa. A bouncer was guarding the mansion, and spoke up nastily to Cloud the moment he saw him.

"Hey dweeb, this here is the mansion of Don Corneo, the most powerful and respected business man in all of Wall Market, he owns this whole place. So look here boy, if you're a queer or something like that then got lost, 'cause the Don's not into men, you hear? So you better not let me catch you around here again or else. The Don's got an interview right now with some sweet chick named Tifa, and he don't want to be disturbed," said the bouncer, sharply, in a cocky tone of voice.

Shaking with murderous rage and barely restraining the intense urge to beat the bouncer's face in, Cloud instead spat on the ground in the bouncer's direction, and then walked back down the path slightly to where Aeris stood waiting. By the looks of it, she had overheard what the bouncer had said, and they both knew now that Tifa was definitely inside Don Corneo's mansion, but they were both stumped as to why.

"Hey Cloud, this place is the mansion of Don Corneo, right? Well since Tifa isn't anywhere else in Wall Market anyway, she must be inside there, just like the bouncer said. He also said only girls are allowed in too, so I'll go inside and take a look, it would be better if I go in to give her any help if she needs it, but you'll have to just wait here. I'll tell Tifa about you though, and I'll get the both of us back out here to you, and we'll go back to Sector 7, so I can sort this all out myself," said Aeris, and she started to take a step forwards in the direction of the mansion, when Cloud suddenly reached out and grabbed her by the arm roughly, and stopped her in her tracks at once.

"No, Aeris, you're not going in there alone!! You can't just endanger yourself by going into a place like that by yourself!!" shouted Cloud, firmly, and there was no way on the Planet he was going to just let her go into that mansion alone, special abilities or not. Aeris clearly seemed to be quite taken aback by his reaction.

"Huh, what's wrong, Cloud? Why shouldn't I go in, Tifa's in there, and she might be in danger, and I'm the one allowed in, so why can't I go to help?" asked Aeris, surprised.

"Aeris, you just can't, I mean…you do know…what kind of place this is…don't you? It's a knocking shop, and any girl that goes in there becomes a prostitute. And I know that you most certainly don't want that," said Cloud, letting go of her arm gently. Aeris rolled her eyes and sighed wearily, her arm aching from where Cloud had tightly grabbed it.

"Then just what else am I supposed to do, if I can't go in alone? Do you want to try and go in with me anyway, to bust into the place? No…with all the guards there, that won't be possible to pull off…I should've known from the start that it wouldn't have been that easy to find Tifa…to go in there after her somehow. I'm sorry about this, Cloud, it was all my fault for being so optimistic," said Aeris, with some guilt in her tone of voice, but Cloud shrugged and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, Aeris, it's Tifa who decided to go in there, but I just wish I'd knew why she did…I have to go in there and find out, but that's just not that easy. And besides, being a man, it will be pretty hard for me to go in there. And if I bust in, it will just cause too much commotion. But I just can't let you go in alone, and I can't leave Tifa either…oh man, I just don't know what to do here, this whole damn situation is messed up! First of all, we need to find out if Tifa's alright, and then…" began Cloud, but he abruptly stopped speaking. He saw that Aeris was suddenly giggling, and then laughing.

"(That's it, that's it…I know how to get both me and Cloud into the mansion without causing any commotion! But the whole idea's still so amusingly entertaining that I just can't stop laughing about it…ha, ha, ha! Just wait until Cloud here's about this…!)" thought Aeris, laughing to herself at the very thought of what Cloud would have to do for her plan.

"Just what the heck's so funny, Aeris?" asked Cloud, perplexed, finding nothing remotely funny about their situation here whatsoever. Still giggling gleefully, Aeris at last tried to control herself a little, and turned to face Cloud, grinning.

"Hey, Cloud, there's a simple answer to this whole problem of getting inside…why don't you just dress up like a girl, and use the disguise to sneak in the mansion? It's the only way to get inside there. Besides, ever since we met again in the church I…I kind of wanted to see how you would look like in a dress," joked Aeris, grinning from ear to ear.

"WHAT!!!!?" bellowed Cloud, thunderstruck even by the very idea of what Aeris had suggested, yelling so loudly that it seemed he could be heard from all of Wall Market. Aeris quickly ran up the road to the mansion door where the bouncer was, before Cloud could protest, and he cursed under his breath and waited for Aeris to come back, as she walked up to the bouncer who stared at her with creepy interest.

"You just wait right there, I'll be back later, but first I've got a cute friend who I want to bring along too," said Aeris, faking a desire to satisfy, as the bouncer looked at her with gleeful surprise and anticipation, and nodded to show he would allow them through when she came back. She then ran back down the path over to where Cloud was waiting.

"Aeris, this plan is just insane, it's too humiliating! I just can't do this…!" protested Cloud, rather lamely, but he certainly didn't like this plan one bit, he would much rather take even Barret's mad plans instead of this. Aeris quickly interrupted him though, and looked at him rather sharply.

"You ARE worried about Tifa, aren't you, Cloud? You don't want to just leave her there to get in trouble, right? And you don't want me to go in by myself for my sake, do you? So let's hurry, and get this plan underway at once. Besides, let's face it, they have to have at least one ugly girl around here too," joked Aeris, trying to contain herself, but failing as she cracked up into hilarious laughing for a moment.

"Oh, ha, ha, very funny," muttered Cloud, sarcastically, looking very grumpy about this whole situation indeed, it was the worst task he remembered ever having to do.

With their task in mind, they both walked back along Wall Market and came to a clothes shop in the large market, which Aeris insisted on going inside at once. They both entered the shop, and spotted a woman working behind the counter. Aeris looked around the shop at all the dresses currently available in the store, and shook her head in disappointment.

"Nope, these dresses are all just way too small and slim, and they're just not glamorous enough either," said Aeris, as she wondered what would they do now.

"Ah well, that's just too bad. Guess we're just going to have to find another way to get in the mansion. You know, I was really looking forward to putting a dress on too," said Cloud, sarcastically, feeling a sense of relief and hope that he might not have to deal with this after all. Aeris decided to simply just ignore him, and instead she walked over to the saleswoman behind the counter.

"Excuse me, I would like to get a dress for today, but it has to be custom made, if that's possible," said Aeris. The saleswoman looked at her as she thought about it, then she looked a little troubled.

"Well, it's not any problem to order custom made dresses in this store. But I warn you; it might take a little while longer now than it usually does, so I wouldn't get your hopes up about it coming today. Is that alright with you, miss?" asked the saleswoman, anxiously.

"Why is a custom made dress sorted out later than usual, then? What's the problem with making it?" asked Aeris, rather puzzled about this.

"Well, you see miss…it's basically because my father is the owner of this store, and the stock we either make or receive all depends on him organising it. But he hasn't been doing any of that for a while now, as he's been in a slump lately, and he makes all the dresses. As long as my father doesn't have the motivation or effort in him to make these dresses, they're going to take a while to get made," explained the saleswoman.

"And where is your father?" asked Aeris, curiously.

"He's probably just getting himself drunk yet again over at the bar nearby here in the market," said the saleswoman, with a heavy sigh. Aeris looked rather thoughtful.

"So…basically, you're saying that we can't get a custom made dress for today, unless we do something now about your father's motivation?" asked Aeris.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, I'm just so sorry about all this. He never listens to me anymore. He's caused so much trouble from his drinking and from neglecting to run this store…" said the saleswoman, solemnly, but her eyes then flared wide as she realised the full meaning of Aeris' words. Suddenly, she jumped in shock, and stared at Aeris in surprise.

"You…you would go and help me bring him back to his full motivation again!?" asked the saleswoman, with surprise and clear desperation.

"Well now, if we don't do something about this, then we won't get a dress for today, right?" said Aeris, calmly pointing out the obvious fact of it all.

"R-Really!? Oh in that case, please help me with my crazy drunk old man. I just don't know what to do with him anymore these days," said the saleswoman. Aeris nodded in agreement, looking determined.

"Alright then, we'll do something about it, I promise. Let's go, Cloud," said Aeris, as she rushed out the store. Reluctantly, Cloud followed as he knew now that his hopes of avoiding this humiliation were completely dashed. There was no way Aeris was going to change her mind about this.

Aeris and Cloud both walked back along Wall Market, until they arrived and came to the bar in the area. They entered it at once, and they found a middle-aged man sitting at the table near the door, with many pints of beer. Judging by his age, he looked old enough to be the saleswoman's father, and drunk enough to match the description. They walked over to him.

"Excuse me a moment, sir. Are you the father of the saleswoman at the clothing store, that you're supposed to be in charge of?" asked Aeris.

"Yeah, I own and run the damn clothing store, but I sure ain't your father, missy," said the man, clearly drunk.

"I didn't say that," said Aeris, bewildered.

"…I need you to make me some clothes," said Cloud, sharply and rather coldly, reluctantly deciding that he had no choice but to get this whole damn thing over with, but he was still rather agitated about it.

"I don't make men's clothes, just ones for women, and I don't feel like making anything right now anyways, the whole business is just getting too boring and routine," said the clothes shop owner, dully. Aeris turned to face Cloud.

"Cloud, why'd don't you just go and wait over there at the other end of the bar for a second? I'll try and talk to him myself, I think I might be able to convince him to make that dress," said Aeris. Without a word, Cloud grumpily stormed off to the other end of the bar to wait. Aeris turned back to face the clothes shop owner, and spoke to him the moment that Cloud was out of earshot.

"You know mister, we want a custom dress made, but the dress isn't for me, it's for my friend here. Cloud's always said to me that for just once, he'd really like to dress up like a girl, you see. So that's why I wanted to get a cute dress made just for him," said Aeris, giggling and chuckling to herself. The clothes shop owner jumped from his seat in surprise, his drunken mood seemingly gone as he gaped in shock at Aeris.

"What, you want a dress made for him!? A tough looking guy like that wants to dress up like a girl…? If that's true, then by any chance, is he…?" questioned the clothes shop owner, uneasily, staring over at the other side of the bar at Cloud in astonishment and disbelief. Cloud didn't seem to have noticed this though, as he was busy grumbling at the floor. Aeris had to use all willpower to stop herself from bursting out laughing.

"Yep, he sure is, alright! So, how about it then, mister shop owner? Will you make him a specially made dress, to make him look like a girl, and still fit in it at the same time? Please would you do it for him?" asked Aeris, curiously.

The clothes shop owner sat back on his stall, seriously considering the prospect of this request. He had certainly never received any dress request situations like this, and the thought of that immediately made him both very curious and extremely intrigued, it definitely sounded a lot more interesting than his regular old work, and there was just no way he was going to say no to this, he was going to put his full effort into it.

"…Yeah, you know, this little dress request of yours might actually be really interesting to sort out, and pretty original for once, to help a gay bloke dress like a girl and looking convincing about it. I was getting really bored with just making regular clothes," replied the clothes shop owner.

"Then you'll do it for us?" asked Aeris, hopefully.

"Yeah, alright then miss, I'd be glad to help you two out, and I'll put all my effort into this, I assure you! So exactly what kind of dress do you want?" asked the clothes shop owner, taking out a notepad and a pen. Aeris thought about it.

"Well then, how about something for him…that feels soft and looks shiny. Oh…and I also think that purple is more his colour too," replied Aeris, still giggling mischievously.

"Alright, I got all the details down. I've got a good picture in my head of what this dress will look like. And I have a friend who has the same taste as him too. I'll go talk to him, he should be able to help out with the dress. Give me five more minutes to finish my drink and I'll head to the shop. Drop by the store in half an hour or so and it should be ready," said the clothes shop owner. Aeris nodded, thanked him gratefully, and then she walked over the other end of the bar where Cloud was waiting, and he hadn't heard the conversation between Aeris and the clothes shop owner at all.

"I've spoken to the store owner, and he says he'll make the dress for us. He told me that the dress will be ready in about thirty minutes, so let's get something to eat while we're waiting, I haven't eaten anything yet all day," said Aeris.

Cloud shrugged and nodded, as they then did so, and talked about various things at the same time, not once finding themselves at a loss for words. Half an hour eventually passed though, and they had to get going.

Aeris and Cloud walked out of the bar, and ran back down to the clothes shop. They walked into the shop, and the clothes shop owner was already there standing behind the counter, with the saleswoman looked relieved and delighted. As soon as he noticed Cloud and Aeris over, the clothes shop owner tossed the dress over to Cloud, who caught and glared at it.

"Okay, the dress is all ready now. Try it on and see how it fits and looks," said the clothes shop owner. Cloud (very, very reluctantly) walked into the changing rooms and closed the door behind him.

"How the heck do you put this thing on?" asked Cloud, with no clothes on as he held the dress with his hands, looking at it in disdain. Aeris grinned and open the door slightly as she peeked in the changing room. Noticing this at once, Cloud jumped in clear alarm, and quickly tried to cover himself up with the dress.

"W-What the hell are you doing!?" screeched Cloud, embarrassed, and slammed the door shut at once. Aeris giggled at the thought what she'd seen, but shook her head once Cloud came out with the dress on, his disguise didn't seem convincing enough just yet.

"It still doesn't look quite right, you'd be found out in no time like this, with that spiky hair of yours. I think you need to have a wig over it, and to disguise your face more effectively," said Aeris. Cloud glared at her, not believing this was happening to him, while the clothes shop owner nodded thoughtfully.

"I thought you might so I talked to my friend about getting one for you. You know the gym, just nearby here? You'll find a lot of people there who are like your friend. Go over there and talk to them, they'll help you out a lot, I'm sure," said the clothes shop owner. Cloud quickly got back into his regular clothes, and he got out the changing room.

"People like me? What's that supposed to mean? Aeris, what the hell did you tell him?" growled Cloud, suspiciously, annoyed. Aeris just shrugged, avoiding his angry stare.

"Does it really matter what I told him in order to get this accomplished, Cloud? Anyway, on the bright side, at least now we've got a pretty dress, and as soon as we get that wig, we're all set," said Aeris, triumphantly.

They then walked out of the clothes shop and they walked along Wall Market, until they arrived and came to the gym. They entered the gym, and they found four muscular men exercising and a short man was watching them, but he turned to face Cloud and Aeris the moment he noticed them arrive at the gym, staring at Cloud.

"The shop keeper's told me about you two. So…you must be the guy…who wants to be cute, right?" asked the short man, curiously, looking at Cloud. Cloud snarled angrily.

"Cute…!?" growled Cloud, feeling completely livid, feeling solely tempted to pound the guy in the face. Aeris quickly stepped between them, sensing Cloud's irritation, and quickly nodded to the short man.

"Right, he's the one. Oh, and about the wig…" said Aeris, quickly, before Cloud could lose his temper. The short man interrupted her.

"I heard that you guys might need a wig, but it's going to cost you," said the short man. Suddenly, a muscular black man ran up to them.

"Hey, you gotta get the better of Big Bro first of all, to earn that wig! The only way you're gonna get cuter is if ya beat Big Bro!" exclaimed the black man.

"Yeah, that's right, dude! So you've got to compete with us to get that wig!" exclaimed two muscular white men at the same time, also rushing over to them.

"(These people are all insane, they're clearly all…ugh…just how on the Planet did I get into this mess? Both Aeris and Tifa are gonna owe me for this, big time. Tifa for coming here in the first place, and Aeris for making me do this plan…)" thought Cloud, grumbling.

"Yeah, you're right, all of you. The wig shouldn't be just given up for free, it should be earned instead. We'll have the guy who wants the wig, up against one of you, in a competition here in this gym. Let's do squats this time, whoever does the most in the amount of time wins," said the short man.

"Alright, we'll beat you right out of this gym!" exclaimed one muscular white man. Cloud and Aeris turned to face the short man, remembering things they had heard while looking around Wall Market earlier.

"Are you…?" asked Cloud, suspiciously.

"The big bro that people around here talk about?" asked Aeris, surprised a bit by the fact that the Big Bro was none other than a short man all along. Both of them had heard all sorts of rumours about him when they had been searching for Tifa around Wall Market. The short man, Big Bro, spoke up.

"What…? You guys didn't know that yet? These guys are always running around this place saying 'Big Bro this' and 'Big Bro that'. Well, never mind that, come on over here," said the short man, impatiently.

The muscular black man came over and faced Cloud, who didn't look intimidating at all to Cloud, since he knew Barret, who was just as black as this guy, but was way more muscular than him.

"Okay, I'll just briefly explain the basic rules of this little game. Whoever has the most squats in 30 seconds, gets the wig as the prize," explained the short man.

"I'm not going to lose, spiky haired boy! Big Bro's wig is gonna be mine!" shouted the black man.

"(Okay, it's official. That guy is definitely a raving lunatic…if I'd known what sort of day I was going to have here, I would have refused any sleep, and arrived at Sector 7 much sooner,)" thought Cloud, wondering how he had ever managed to get himself into this mess.

"Start!" shouted the short man, and they did so.

Cloud at once bent his knees as quickly as he could, and then sprang back up again, and wasting no time, he once again bent his knees down, and sprang up again, and continued with this pattern until the time would run out.

He could see that the muscular black man was doing the same thing quite quickly as well, but Cloud's Mako enhanced senses, from being a former member of SOLDIER, meant that Cloud was going slightly quicker and also had the advantage of being much lighter.

They both quickly did as many squats as they could for thirty seconds, with Aeris, Big Bro, and all the other muscular men watching closer, each cheering the two on. It was very close indeed, but as Big Bro blew the whistle when time had run out, it was Cloud that was the winner with seventeen squats, while the black man had fifteen squats. The short man stared at Cloud in respect, quite impressed indeed.

"Wow, you're really something after all, you could even beat our fully trained gym members. Okay then, a deal's a deal and I'm a man of my word, so here you are," said the short man, as he handed Cloud a blonde wig, which actually looked surprisingly convincing enough to be real indeed. The muscular black man looked at Cloud with intense rage.

"Big Bro, I'm so damn mad about this! I'm so, so mad!" shouted the black man, furious. Grimacing with anger, the short man suddenly leapt forwards and punched the black man hard, sending him flying backwards. The black man smashed into a mirror and lay on the floor, dazed and groaning.

"You just shut up, you failed, so the wig's not yours, and that's final! Don't you dare go crying and throwing a fit just because you lost!" snapped the short man.

"…Ugh…Big Bro's fists of steel cut to the bone…" groaned the black man, clearly dazed.

Glancing at each other in some bewilderment at the scene, and with the wig now successfully in their procession, Cloud and Aeris then both walked out of the gym, and they quickly went back to the clothes shop. As they entered, the clothes shop owner looked relieved and pleased to see that they had the blond wig, and handed them the dress again.

"Well now, it looks like you're all set at last. Now go try it on, and see how it fits. It should look convincing enough too," said the clothes shop owner.

Cloud walked slowly into the changing rooms, and after closing the door, he then changed (very reluctantly) once again, put the dress and the wig both firmly on, and then came out of the changing room, though this time he had decided to keep his regular clothes on just underneath the dress.

But despite that though, it was clear to see that with the dress and the wig both on, he looked just like a girl, and he could not be recognised unless someone looked really closely at him. Aeris, the saleswoman, and the clothes shop owner all studied him.

"Hmmm…you know, the way the new look's turned out is not really that bad, in fact it's kind of impressive, looks very convincing, and you seem comfortable in it at the same time too. I think this could really be a new business for me to work on…" said the clothes shop owner, thoughtfully.

"Yeah…I think you're right, dad, you're onto something there. Should we try it then?" asked the saleswoman, and after a moment's thought, the clothes shop owner nodded in agreement. The saleswoman smiled, and turned to face Aeris, bowing to her in gratitude.

"Thank you both so much for taking the time to show us something new and different. My father's got his motivation fully back now, and we know now how to expand the business, so the dress is on the house," said the saleswoman. Aeris smiled gratefully, and then she turned to face Cloud.

"You look convincing, but you've still got to act like a girl too, you know. For starters, try walking more nicely…more lightly and gracefully, Miss Cloud," said Aeris, chuckling.

"What do you mean by nicely?" asked Cloud, annoyed and embarrassed, as he walked over to them, trying to walk as Aeris had told him to, and he was succeeding with it, much to his own surprise. Aeris giggled in clear amusement.

"Aw, you're just so cute, Miss Cloud. Hey, the dresses in here look pretty good. I think I might as well get a dress to wear too. Do you have one that will look good on me too?" asked Aeris, curiously. At once, the saleswoman and the clothes shop owner provided her customer service.

"How about this dress over here?" asked the woman, pointing to a dress.

"How about that one just there?" asked the clothes shop owner, pointing to another dress at the same time. Both the saleswoman and clothes shop owner looked at each other incredulously.

"Father, what on earth are you talking about? This dress here is much better than that one, she'd prefer it over that," said the saleswoman.

"No, just what are talking about, my daughter? This one is the far more suitable one for choice, not the other one," insisted the clothes shop owner. Both of them looked ready to argue about it, but Aeris quickly interrupted them as she made her choice of dress.

"Those are both nice dresses and all, but I've decided that I want this one instead, I like the look of it a lot," said Aeris, pointing to a completely different dress to the others that were suggested to her.

"Huh?" said the woman and clothes shop owner at the same time, both surprised and astonished by her choice, and were speechless by it, but didn't question her decision, it wasn't in their job in question customers like that after all, and as long as they earned money, then what did it matter?

"I'm going to go and change into this dress at once. Oh, and no peeking from anyone until I come out," said Aeris, glancing at Cloud in particular. She then went into the changing room, put her dress on over her regular clothes, and then she came out.

"So, how do I look?" asked Aeris. She was wearing a sleek, shiny red dress, looking completely stunning in it. Cloud just gaped at her for a moment, and was too speechless to reply, before shaking his head to regain himself.

"Aw, you're just no fun sometimes, Cloud," complained Aeris, with a giggle. After paying for the dress, and with their disguises and plan all ready to begin now, Cloud and Aeris then both headed towards Don Corneo's mansion at the other end of Wall Market, as quickly as they could.

They soon came to the mansion where the bouncer still was, and as he saw the two of them, his jaw dropped and he just gaped at them. Cloud and Aeris both walked over to him, ready to go inside the mansion, and knowing that so far so good, the disguise was working perfectly well.

Meanwhile, a Shinra Incorporated helicopter landed onto the landing pad of the roof of the Shinra Headquarters. After getting out of the helicopter and stepping inside the huge building, Reno quickly rode the elevator directly down to the Turks office at the 59th floor of the building, eleven floors from the top of the massive tower on the centre of the Plate.

Reno slumped against the wall of the elevator on the ride down to the Turks' office, trying to remember exactly what excuse was the best one to give Tseng, the leader of the Turks, for not being able to capture Aeris, who had escaped Shinra yet again, even after so many attempts at catching her.

"(Man, I'm busted this time. I assured and promised the President himself that I would finally catch that damn flower girl, but she still slipped her way out of captivity. And there was nothing on the briefing about having to deal with that bastard Ex-SOLDIER too, if it weren't for that guy, I would have had that girl caught for sure. Dunno if the bosses are gonna believe that though, even in my head it just sounds like a made up excuse,)" thought Reno, uneasily.

The elevator soon stopped, and Reno walked out slowly on the 59th floor of the building, reluctant to break the news to Tseng, but knew he had no other choice.

The first person he encountered on the way to the Turks' office was Reeve, who'd recently carted in a bunch of cardboard boxes full of electronic components.

Reeve spotted Reno immediately, and walked over to him. Although Reeve was definitely one of Reno's superiors, they never really spoke to each other in that formal way.

Reeve was well known as the head of the Shinra Urban Development Department, the department that was responsible for the design and construction of upper Midgar, the Plate, and the Mako Reactors.

He had black hair, dark eyes, and wore a dark blue suit that looked strangely familiar to a Turk suit. As a result of this, rumours had spread about him among that the company's employees, who claimed that he had once been a Turk.

Reno seriously doubted these rumours, and thought they were all stupid for even coming to such a conclusion just because the colour of the suit he wore was the same as the Turks, there was no real logic or proof to it. Reno had once tried asking Reeve, but he had never answered the question.

And then there was the clear fact that, other than Palmer of the Space Department, Reeve was by far the least feared and threatening of the Shinra executives. Not even his inferiors had found him intimidating at all, unlike the President, Heidegger, Scarlet and Hojo most of all, but the employees still obeyed Reeve nevertheless.

He was also one of the seven main Shinra executives, but most importantly of all, Reeve was probably the only main person in the whole of Shinra Incorporated who really cared about the safety and well being of the citizens of Midgar, in both the upper and lower cities, and the only one who was really concerned about their welfare. Reeve spoke up to Reno as he saw the Turk coming.

"Back so soon already then, Reno? If you're here now, without the girl, then it looks like things didn't go too well for the capture attempt, yet again," said Reeve, observantly, with a knowing look. Reno reluctantly nodded in confirmation.

"Aeris got away from us, and we just couldn't capture her, though we came close to it several times, only for her resistance to counter against us. We would have succeeded in capturing her, but we didn't because she was with some guy at the time, who prevented us from getting her, and we had no idea he was going to be there, so he caught us all off guard. It was a guy with spiky blond hair, glowing blue Mako eyes, and he wielded this gigantic sword. The blade of it alone had to be the size of his arm, and it seemed very strongly crafted too…I think it was one of Shinra's own made swords, the Buster Sword. But most of all, it was a really wide and thick sword, almost the width of an average person's waist. But he handled it effortlessly, and that combined with Aeris' strange abilities meant that we were eventually outdone," explained Reno.

"Geez, that sure does seem like quite a sudden situation to find yourself in, after expecting an easy capture mission with just the flower girl. It all sounds like lyrics for a hard-luck story song," said Reeve, sarcastically. Reno shook his head.

"Judging by the Mako eyes and by the clothes he was wearing, I think that he must have once been a member of SOLDIER, I'm certain of it. But I didn't recognize him from there at all, though I think I recognized him from the Reactor bridge as I was watching in the helicopter, a few hours before I saw him in the church with Aeris when I went over to there. He would have been with the AVALANCHE group on the bridge, but I don't see how he could have gotten down to the Slums so quickly," said Reno, thoughtfully. Reeve raised an eyebrow.

"He was a former SOLDIER, did you just say? Was he neutralized at all, during the capture attempt at the church?" asked Reeve.

"No, I didn't fight him to the death or anything like that. I did fight him briefly, but Aeris stopped me from finishing him off, and then I couldn't dispose of him. Besides, I was supposed to be only after Aeris in the first place. If I took the time to fight what would probably be a pointless battle...well, what does it now matter? The point is that they both evaded me and killed the soldiers I brought along too," said Reno. They both then entered Tseng's Turk office. Tseng noticed them come in, and he stared hard and coldly at Reno, noticing that Aeris wasn't with him, which meant only one thing.

"Well…?" asked Tseng, coldly, his voice icy. Reno lowered his head and remained silent, unable to bring any words out, but his silence told Tseng what he wanted to know. Tseng's frown deepened in clear disapproval.

"I see…" said Tseng. He could easily figure out the answer by himself just by looking at Reno's uneasy expression. Tseng rubbed his chin for a moment, and then slammed his fist hard onto his desk, clearly frustrated and looking livid. Reno looked a little more nervous now.

"I know that you and your soldiers were under strict orders not to harm her, Reno, but this is all getting just too common place. So what is it this time?" asked Tseng, his voice icy as he stared darkly at Reno, expecting a pathetic excuse.

"I...uh..." stammered Reno, clearly unable to think of any acceptable reasons for failure. Reno knew that meant he needed to lie instead. His excuse had to sound good, as if he struggled to succeed against the odds, but he'd already told Reeve that he didn't get into a serious fight with Cloud. And he also knew that Reeve was always honest. Reeve would say something that would botch his lie, and make him look like a complete fool.

The phone on Tseng's desk suddenly rang at that moment, saving Reno from the fire in the process, and breaking the tension in the room. Tseng answered it, while Reno quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Tseng wasn't on the phone for too long though, and he hung up and put the phone down.

"That was your cousin in Wall Market, Reno. A Shinra soldier informed him that while he was hanging around outside the Honey Bee Inn, he recognized a member of AVALANCHE walking around the streets of Wall Market with a girl fitting Aeris' description," said Tseng.

"Did he have spiky blond hair?" asked Reno, curiously.

"He didn't say, but since the description was said to match a member of AVALANCHE, then the assumption is safe enough to assume that it was indeed that man with the spiky hair. Well, I would usually send Rude out alone to check things out, but I think I should assign both of you to this task, since you need to redeem yourself for your failure, even if you had resistance from both Aeris and this spiky haired guy," said Tseng.

"Fine then, Tseng, I'll go investigate this report with Rude over at Wall Market, but I just want a reward for putting up with his stupidity," joked Reno. Tseng frowned sharply.

"Don't waste time with your petty jokes, Reno. Just take Rude along with you, and go over to Wall Market immediately," ordered Tseng.

"Yes, sir!" said Reno, quickly saluting, and then he ran out of Tseng's office, thoroughly relieved that he had escape without severe punishment. Reeve called after him.

"You know something, it sure does seem like he's getting to be a little too strict lately!" called Reeve, and Reno nodded at him over his shoulder while running, and called back.

"Yeah, when he wants to be!" called Reno, shrugging, as he ran out of sight across the 59th floor. Reeve walked back to Tseng's office, as Reno burst into Rude's office. Fully alert, Rude turned to face him at once.

Rude was a tough man with tan coloured skin, and a completely baldhead with absolutely no hair at all. He wore a dark blue suit and black sunglasses, a Turk uniform. He was a Turk, just like Reno and Tseng were.

His muscles weren't huge, but he still looked muscular and menacing to anyone all the same, and by appearance, he was clearly the most imposing looking member of the Turks, which he silently used to his advantage.

Rude never took off his black sunglasses at all, and he always wore them, so nobody in Shinra had ever seen his eyes at all, and it was hard even to imagine what his eyes actually looked like.

Rude was physically very strong, tough, and he almost always used only his own fists as his weapons (though he didn't mind using a gun from time to time on orders), as his fists could knock the average man out unconscious instantly, and kill the guy with just a few more hits to the head, but Rude was always a man of little words as well.

"Hey, get off your leash and come along, Rude! We're going over to Wall Market. I'll brief you on the way, if you care at all," said Reno.

Without a word, as usual, Rude got up from his desk, and followed Reno to the elevator that would take them directly to the roof helipad and right to the helicopter, which they then got onto, and the helicopter began to fly off, going from the large Shinra tower to below the Plate into the Slums. Back inside, Reeve leaned back against Tseng's desk, folding his arms.

"I have to meet with President Shinra tomorrow in the meeting room on the 66th floor, for an urgent meeting regarding recent events. I've heard that there's truth to that rumour that's going around, among the other executives. I guess its because AVALANCE blew up that second Mako Reactor that the President has decided to act against them like this," said Reeve.

"I see. Well, AVALANCHE has been nothing more than a constant and annoying thorn in our side for quite some time now. They can't keep going on with committing these acts of rebellion against us, or it will mean our downfall. Of all people in Shinra, you should know, as the executive responsible for all of Midgar's buildings and constructions, that we can't afford their destructive rampage to continue on any longer," said Tseng, calmly, looking stern.

"(No, we certainly cannot allow them to continue to stand against us any longer, or we'll lost control, power, and faith over the people of Midgar and the rest of the world. Other enemies may realise they might stand a chance of standing against us too, if AVALANCHE continues with this and lives. It is essential that this rebel group must be dealt with, and to poison all the public against them. As for Aeris, I've been merciful towards her several times in the past when I was sent to capture her, but I'm not going to hold back any longer. I'll go after her myself as soon as possible, and she will not escape this time, not on my reputation as the leader of the Turks,)" thought Tseng.

"No matter what the reasons are for it, I just don't really agree for the President's idea, Tseng. Either way, it'll cost us a lot of money and resources if we do this. Guess I'll be busy for the rest of the year now. I hope he knows how much work his idea is going to create for me, with all the destruction it's going to cause to hundreds of buildings. But that's not even the worst of it. It's going to kill a lot of innocent people too. I would rather wish that all this had never happened in the first place. That AVALANCHE never emerged to start all this," said Reeve.

"You're a part of Shinra Incorporated, Reeve, and a main part of it too. In this world ruling company, you can't ever let feelings like that get in the way of your work…of what Shinra expects from you," said Tseng, his expression and tone of voice completely emotionless.

Reeve stood upright again, and paused for a second in thought. He then walked away and out of Tseng's office without another word, his head bowed in sorrow for all the innocent people who would all have to suffer for nothing, through no fault of their own at all.

"(All of this…this whole situation…it's just too terrible to think about. Thousands of innocent people have already died this week due to AVALANCHE'S actions with exploding Reactors, and now much more people than before are going to die just to deal with AVALANCHE as well. This whole situation between AVALANCHE and Shinra has gotten out of control, and it's turning into a full-scale war for the Planet, despite the difference in sizes between the two, and both sides are willing to sacrifice lives to gain victory…I wish I was well out of this instead of being stuck right in the middle of this whole thing…)" thought Reeve, solemnly, as he glumly walked across the 59th floor to the elevator, going up to the top floor where the President's office was, hoping to persuade him not to go through with the plan, though there wasn't much hope…


	17. Wall Market: Saving Tifa From The Don

_Chapter 17_ _Saving Tifa From Don Of Slums___

****

At the front entrance of Don Corneo's mansion, Cloud and Aeris had both arrived, in their dresses and Cloud in his disguise as a girl, to his own disgust. The bouncer stared at what he thought were both two girls, as they walked over to him, indicating they wanted to go inside. The bouncer snapped out of his trance, and nodded quickly.

"Damn girl, you sure were right earlier! You're friend's hot too, and so are you, the Don will be pleased at his selection for tonight. Come in; come on in! Two ladies coming through here to see the Don!" called the bouncer, over at the entrance of the mansion.

He stepped aside and allowed them past, and with a sense of triumph, Cloud and Aeris both walked through the front door of the mansion. Once they were inside, they were standing in a big hall with some stairs leading to a floor above it, and it also had a reception not far from the door. Another man, another subordinate of Don Corneo's, was standing there behind the desk of the reception, and grinned creepily at Cloud and Aeris when he saw them enter.

        "Hey there ladies, I'll just go for a moment, and let the Don know that you're here for tonight's selection. Both of you just wait down here, and don't wander around, it ain't safe to disturb the Don, or his faithful employees either," said the receptionist, with a leer, and he then walked off and out of sight. No one else was in the room now.

Unwatched and unheard, Aeris grinned triumphantly, and turned to face Cloud, who had to admit Aeris' plan had been a big success, but it didn't stop him from hating this situation nonetheless.

"(Ha, looks like my plan worked out perfectly well after all, we're both in here and free to look around for Tifa without causing any commotion in the process at all. Pretty ingenious of me if I do say so myself…and it sure was a nice laugh to see how Cloud had to get through this. But now, we'd better focus on the task at hand,)" thought Aeris, as she then spoke up to Cloud urgently.

"Now's our big chance, Cloud, no one's watching us, so we've got to start looking right away. Let's go find Tifa, before anyone else comes back here, or before something bad happens to her in this place. I wonder where she is though; if the both of us were told to wait here, why isn't she here too…so I'm wondering where she's waiting or gone off too…" said Aeris, thoughtfully. Cloud nodded in agreement.

They decided to search the place at once, as they both quietly ran up to the upstairs rooms, not wanting to be seen or overheard, as they stood on the second floor. There were three rooms. The rooms in the middle and on the right were locked, but the left room was clearly open. Looking through into the room, Cloud saw that there were vast amounts of stone stairs leading down to the room.

Checking to see if they were still unnoticed, Cloud and Aeris then both quietly ran down the long stone stairs, and cautiously arrived in the room. The room looked strangely like a dungeon, with a hard stone table in the middle of the room, and chains and shackles kept around it.

Cloud looked around to see if anyone else was in the room, and he stared in surprise for a moment at one figure who also stood there, and he recognized the person at once, with a sense of immense relief.

Tifa Lockhart was standing at the opposite end of the dungeon-like room, staring back at him in surprise and suspicion, though she seemed to have no idea at the moment that it was Cloud in disguise.

Tifa was wearing a dark blue dress over her regular clothes, looking truly stunning in it, and Cloud quickly turned his gaze away from Tifa, knowing it would look far too suspicious if he just kept staring right at her.

Beside him, Aeris noticed Cloud's reaction, and looked over at Tifa in curiosity, and walked over to her, coming to the logical conclusion that this girl must be Tifa, and she also did recognize her as the girl in the carriage as well. Aeris was amused at the thought of what Tifa might think when she'd find out that Cloud had dressed up like a girl for her.

Cloud didn't move towards Tifa, or even face her at all, as he was far too embarrassed for her to see him dressed like a girl. Tifa turned to face Aeris; puzzled and surprised when she noticed her walking towards her, and looked suspiciously at her as well, fully alert for any trouble that might occur in this situation. Seeing her tense and alert expression at once, Aeris smiled in reassurance at her, and she quickly introduced herself first of all.

        "Excuse me for asking, miss, but are you…Tifa? You are, right? Well then, it's nice to be able to meet you, and don't worry, I don't intend to attack you, I'm here to help with whatever you're here for. My name is Aeris Gainsborough, by the way. I met your friend Cloud yesterday, you see. Cloud's told me a lot of things about you," explained Aeris.

Tifa stared back at her, still looking bewildered about who this girl was, how she knew Tifa was going to be here, and why she knew Cloud, but on the other hand, she did now have some understanding of what was going on.

        "And just who exactly are you supposed to be, Miss Gainsborough…? Hey wait a moment, I think I remember you now…yes, that's right, you're the girl who I saw with Cloud, in the park before the Sector 7 gate, when I was on that carriage," said Tifa. Aeris smiled as Tifa remembered her.

"That's right, I was with Cloud," replied Aeris, nodding.

        "Oh, I see…" said Tifa, turning away from her as she then realized something else. Aeris knew what Tifa had just assumed, and she giggled at the thought of it.

        "Oh, it wasn't anything like that. Don't worry; we just met a day ago, after all, so we're not really that close yet. It's really nothing for you to be concerned about," said Aeris, reassuringly, though she knew that wasn't entirely true. Tifa turned back to face her, confused.

        "What do you mean by that? Don't worry about what?" asked Tifa, thoroughly bewildered. Then she realized what Aeris had meant, and she quickly shook her head, looking rather awkward.

"No, please don't misunderstand me. Cloud and I just grew up together. Nothing more than that," said Tifa, quickly, slightly embarrassed, and a slight shade of crimson appearing on her face. Aeris was still chuckling in amusement though, and wasn't convinced.

        "Aw, poor Cloud…having to just stand here, and listen to the both of us calling him nothing like this. Isn't that right, Cloud? Hey, are you too embarrassed to even talk to us or something? Come on, speak up," said Aeris, as she burst out laughing despite herself, turning to face Cloud. Tifa looked rather confused.

Judging by the expression on his face, Cloud would have gladly given all the Gil he had to evaporate on the spot, and if a hole to the underworld had opened up right before him, he would have jumped into it without a sound, or perhaps with the faintest murmur of gratitude.

"Cloud…?" said Tifa, completely confused, as she slowly walked up to him, and stared at Cloud, not knowing that it was really him in a convincing disguise as a girl in a purple dress wearing a blond wig that completely matched the color of his hair, but it was flat and long rather than spiky like his hair actually was.

Studying him, Tifa looked closely at Cloud, and she then suddenly realized exactly who it was, and she was so startled and surprised that she jumped backwards from him in shock and disbelief, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open as she simply gaped at him.

"(That blond haired girl really is Cloud! Cloud really is alive after all, I thought I saw him in the park earlier, but now I know for sure! Cloud's survived the fall! But that's a really convincing disguise he's got on, I really thought he was a girl when he arrived until now. He must have seen me on the carriage going in direction of Wall Market and the Don's mansion. So he's dressed up like this…for me?)" thought Tifa.

Then a delighted smile spread across Tifa's face, as she lunged forwards, and she threw her arms around Cloud and hugged him tightly. Cloud returned the embrace, though he was still clearly embarrassed about his disguise, and felt rather awkward as Tifa looked at him, and at once she broke into an urgent and frantic series of questions.

        "Cloud!? Why on earth are you dressed like this!? And just what are you doing in here!? Forget that, what happened to you after the fall you took off the bridge!? Are you hurt or anything, are you sure you're alright!?" asked Tifa, frantically, looking at Cloud very anxiously, while she was still hugging him quite tightly. Cloud quickly answered her before she could keep firing questions at him again.

        "Hey, just give me a chance to explain all of that for a moment. First of all, I'm dressed up like this because there was no other way to get in here, and believe me, I don't enjoy doing this whatsoever. And second of all, I did fall down that Reactor bridge to the Slums, and I crashed into a church, and for a moment I was really dying after the impact, but I'm perfectly alright now, Aeris helped me out just in time to save my life," explained Cloud.

        "Oh, Aeris did…" muttered Tifa, letting go of Cloud.

        "Tifa, are you alright? Is something wrong?" asked Cloud, concerned and confused by her short reply. Tifa sighed heavily and shook her head.

        "Yeah…I'm fine, I guess. I've just been really worried about you since I saw you fall, I had feared that you were dead…that I would never see you again. I really thought you were gone for good, so when I saw you in the park earlier, I was extremely glad to see that I was wrong. But enough about that now, what are you doing here, Cloud? How did you assume that I'd be here in all the places of Wall Market? What made you come here?" asked Tifa, curiously.

        "You know, that's exactly the very same question that I should really be asking you. Tifa, just what the hell are you doing here, in a place like this?" asked Cloud, sharply. Tifa looked a little sheepish as she remembered.

        "Oh right, that reminds me, you don't know why I'm here, do you? Well, I'm basically here on a secret mission for AVALANCHE to find out some information from the Don. Yeah, the things I want to know are, umm…" began Tifa, uneasily, glancing pointedly at Aeris, who understood immediately and nodded to her.

        "Okay then, I'll just plug my ears for a moment. Hey, what's supposed to be so secret here in the first place, huh? Anyway, never mind me, both of you just please continue with your private conversation," said Aeris, grinning, as she then turned away from them, and covered her ears up with her hands. Tifa smiled gratefully at her, and then she turned back to face Cloud.

        "I'm really glad that you're okay, and to see that you're alright, Cloud. But just how on earth did you survive the fall, anyway? How could you have survived a fall that was about a hundred feet drop?" asked Tifa, still looking very relived and delighted to see Cloud, feeling a temptation to just throw her arms around him again and kiss him, but restraining herself from doing so, being far too shy for such an action.

"I survived the fall thanks to Aeris. The wooden church roof and her bed of flowers saved me, and actually broke my fall. Then when I was dying from the impact of the fall, she somehow healed me and saved my life, helping me to recover to full strength again. I know it all sounds really hard to believe, but I swear it's the truth. After I recovered from the fall in the church, Aeris helped me find my way back to the Sector 7 Slums. Because of all this, I owe a lot to Aeris, and if it weren't for her, I'd be dead at this moment. But by the time she and I got to Sector 7, we saw from the playground that you were coming here in that carriage. We searched around Wall Market for you, and discovered that you were here inside the mansion. Aeris came up with a plan to dress me up like a girl, so we could both get in here with no trouble. And now we're all here," explained Cloud. Tifa nodded in clear understanding.

"(Now I understand what's going on…so they followed me in here because they were concerned that I was getting into trouble, and they wondered what I was doing. So it's Aeris that was responsible for saving Cloud from certain death? Just how the heck did she pull that off, how did she manage to heal him like that? There seems to be a lot more to her than meets the eye,)" thought Tifa, as she then spoke up.

        "Now I guess it's my turn to explain," said Tifa.

        "Thanks. So, what happened?" asked Cloud, curiously.

        "When me, Barret and the others all got back from the Mako Reactor N05 mission, and when we were all in my bar at Sector 7, there was this weird man who just came in all of a sudden, despite the fact the bar was closed. So Barret caught him, being suspicious of the guy, and he quickly squeezed some information out of him," explained Tifa.

        "(Typical Barret, whenever anyone does anything even remotely suspicious, he always has to launch an attack on them and make himself look intimidating,)" thought Cloud.

        "And that's the moment when the Don's name popped out, right?" guessed Cloud. Tifa nodded and continued.

        "Right, he mentioned Don Corneo, protesting that he wasn't up to anything, even though we hadn't asked him about the Don, which meant that something suspicious was going on, to do with him. After he kicked the guy out the bar and sent him away, Barret warned me to leave the leech alone, but something about this whole situation has been bothering me. Why is Don Corneo on the move all of a sudden, and why did one of his cronies come to where we were? I volunteered to go by myself to find out what he's up to. I've got a small hidden radio device planted on me so that the others can hear what's going on," explained Tifa.

        "I see, I understanding this whole thing now. So you wanted to enter this mansion because you wanted to get the full story here, straight from Don Corneo himself," said Cloud, thoughtfully. Tifa nodded and continued.

        "Yeah, that's right. And with me dressed like this, getting inside was easy, and I've been waiting here since for the Don to tell me to come. So I made it here safely, but right now I'm in a tricky bind. You see, Corneo is also looking for a bride, for his ideal girl. Everyday he gets three girls in this mansion, chooses between one of them, and for the night, he…uh…well…perhaps its better if I don't say. Anyway, I have to be the girl that's chosen, or I'm out for tonight, and I won't be able to question Corneo," explained Tifa.

Removing her hands from her eyes and turning to face them, Aeris suddenly spoke up, interrupting their conversation, having been listening to them all along.

        "(So that's what's going on here. AVALANCHE suspects that Don Corneo is up to something suspicious, and they've sent Tifa here to find out just what it is. And Tifa has to be chosen, because she's the one with the radio device, so she's the one who has to question Corneo so that the rest of AVALANCHE will know exactly what's going on. I think I've got another plan to help Tifa get chosen…)" thought Aeris, as she spoke up.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but I overheard everything that you guys have just said, and I can see what all this is about. I've heard about Don Corneo every time I've come to Wall Market, ever since I was little, he controlled Wall Market even then. And he always does those…uh…things with girls too. But I think I've got a plan to help you get chosen. You see, if you know the two other girls that you're being chosen among, then there's no problem, right? Then any one of them would be able to question Don Corneo, or they could just put on a poor performance so that you get chosen instead," said Aeris, thoughtfully.

Tifa seemed a little alarmed that Aeris had overheard everything that they had discussed about, so Cloud quickly spoke before she could say anything about it.

"Listen to me, Tifa. Aeris is going to be staying with me for a while, as I am her bodyguard, so no matter what you say she'll hear it anyway, but don't worry, she can be trusted, and she may not look it, but she can be a valuable edition to AVALANCHE too, in many ways," said Cloud. Tifa relaxed and nodded. Aeris continued explaining.

"Anyway, like I was saying, if you know the other two girls, then they'll try to lose so that Corneo will choose you, and you'll be able to question him, while we deal with his cronies that the Don will hand me and Cloud over to, and  then we'll both come to find you so that we can all question the Don at the same time," explained Aeris.

"I guess so, but…" said Tifa, uncertainly.

"Hey, not to worry Tifa, we already have the two other girls for the plan just here, right?" said Aeris, indicating herself and Cloud, who shook his head firmly.

"No, Aeris, that's not happening, no way! I can't just let you get involved in this situation, it'll be too dangerous for someone like you," said Cloud, urgently. Aeris turned to face Cloud, and raised an eyebrow.

        "Oh, is that so, Cloud? So then, does that mean it's alright for Tifa to be in danger like this, and not me? Is that what you're saying?" asked Aeris, somewhat irritated, and Cloud looked quite awkward.

        "No, that's not it, and I also don't want Tifa in…" began Cloud, uneasily, but Tifa quickly intervened, and interrupted him, seeing that there was no point in arguing, as she turned to face Aeris.

        "Are you really sure that this is alright with you, to get yourself involved in this situation?" asked Tifa, curiously, seriously considering Aeris' assistance, realizing that it would come in good use right now. Aeris smiled and nodded in reassurance.

        "Don't worry about me, I grew up in the Slums all my life, and I had to make my own way through most of it. So I'm used to danger by now, even when I'm in a moment like this one. Do you think you can trust me?" asked Aeris. Tifa nodded gratefully in response.

        "Yes, I truly do feel as though I can trust you. Thanks a lot for your help, Miss Aeris. Both for helping out now, and for saving Cloud's life," replied Tifa, sincerely. Aeris shook her head and smiled.

        "It was all no problem, really, I just felt like I was doing the right thing, that's all. Oh, and please just call me Aeris," said Aeris, holding out her hand.

Tifa nodded and shook her hand with a smile, and then after a moment, she let go as she turned back to face Cloud, and couldn't help but keep giggling to herself as she stared at Cloud's disguise.

        "Ha, ha, ha. You know something Cloud, that disguise doesn't look all that bad if someone doesn't look closely and realizes you're not a girl after all. I wonder what Barret would say if he could see you now," said Tifa, chuckling to herself at the very thought of it.

Cloud didn't answer or reply, he was extremely annoyed and embarrassed with having to dress up like a girl in this way, but he was also extremely relieved that Barret didn't have to see him like this.

Then he remembered in mortified horror that Tifa had a radio device planted on her, which meant that Barret and the others had listened in to what they had been saying, which meant they knew that he was alive and dressed up like a girl, and they also knew a little about Aeris now as well.

Barret would certainly never let him forget about this situation in a big hurry, even after it was all over and done with. But then again, he knew that neither would Aeris either, and she certainly was around to see it in person.

        "They're all going to get really suspicious of us if we don't quickly hurry over to the Don right about now," whispered Aeris, warningly.

Mere moments later, the receptionist from earlier had now just arrived at the top of the long stairs of the room, noticing Cloud (who he thought was a girl in that disguise), Aeris and Tifa, now announcing their turn to see Don Corneo, as he called down to them.

        "Hey, its time now for you lot to come on up, ladies! The Don is waiting for all of ya! And I thought I told ya all not wander off in the first place. I tell ya, woman nowadays, they never listen no more…hurry it up, will ya!?" shouted the receptionist, and he left the room.

        "I probably really don't need to ask this question at all, but the other girl to be chosen is…me, right?" asked Cloud, completely dreading the answer.

"You're right about one thing, Cloud. There really was no need…" said Tifa, glancing at Aeris with a grin.

"…To ask," finished Aeris, with a wide grin and a wink at Tifa, who grinned back. Cloud merely snorted indifferently as the two girls giggled with laughter.

Deciding to go and see the Don now before him and his cronies could get suspicious, they all quickly walked up the long stone stairs, and they walked out of the dungeon. They soon came to Don Corneo's room at the middle of the upstairs floor, and they quickly entered. Don Corneo and two of his assistants – Kotch (the man that had come to Tifa's bar) and Scotch were waiting in the room.

        Don Corneo was a short, but fat man who had a streak of blond hair in the middle on his head (which was otherwise bald), but for the most part, he was completely ugly and a fairly old man. He also wore a red suit and black sunglasses as well. Scotch had brown hair, and he wore a dark green shirt, with black jeans and black sunglasses.

        "Okay then, ladies. All of ya have gotta line up in front of the Don, so proceed to do so now," instructed Kotch. Aeris, Cloud and Tifa obeyed at once, as they quickly all lined up in front of Don Corneo.

Don Corneo sat up from his chair behind his desk just before the three of them, as he looked at them all with creepy interest, as Cloud, Tifa and Aeris each found it hard not to shudder in disgust at his revolting gaze. Don Corneo sprang up from his chair and stood in front of Cloud, Tifa and Aeris, studying them a little too thoroughly for their tastes.

        "Well, well, well, it seems like there's an extremely good selection for me tonight, I am impressed. But which one should it be for tonight? Hmmm, very good, splendid. Now then, let's see here. Which girl should I choose…?" wondered Don Corneo, speaking aloud, thinking to himself.

Studying each of them in turn, Don Corneo first looked at Aeris, then at Tifa, then he looked at Cloud. Cloud moved his face away every time Don Corneo tried to look at him, and succeeded in drawing the Don's attention away from him so Cloud would not be chose, and so that the Don wouldn't realize that Cloud was a man in disguise.

"(So far so good, the plan seems to be working well, I still haven't been discovered just yet. If the Don chooses either Aeris or Tifa, he'll send me to his cronies, then I'll have to deal with them, then help out either Aeris or Tifa with the other ones, and then go to Don Corneo's room to help interrogate him with the others. We all just need to pretend and lie low for now, then strike at the right moment,)" thought Cloud.

Don Corneo looked at Aeris, then at Tifa. He seemed to be having quite a difficult time deciding which of the two to choose from, and Cloud definitely had to agree with him on that one. Finally though, after a few more minutes of thinking, it seemed Don Corneo had decided.

        "Okay then, I've made up my mind! My choice for tonight is….the pretty one! This little beauty will be my companion for tonight," announced Don Corneo, as he moved towards Tifa. The plan had worked after all.

        "You've sure got some great taste. Be nice, Don," said Tifa, softly and smoothly, but she was just acting. Deep down, she was completely disgusted, and tried to keep herself from grimacing at what she was forced to do.

"You two can have the other ones, if you would like," said Don Corneo, in a bored, flat expression, turning to face Kotch and Scotch. The rather bored tone in his voice made it seem like the Don had really said to them, "The other two are garbage, you can have them."

"Yes sir! Thank you sir!" said Kotch and Scotch, at the same time, with clear intense interest all the same, as they stared creepily at Cloud and Aeris, who both grimaced to themselves. Don Corneo turned to face Tifa.

"Well then, now that's all sorted and out the way…so shall we get going to bed, my pretty?" asked Don Corneo, clearly rather excited.

"(Oh boy, oh boy, I'm so gonna enjoy tonight, I've got quite a catch this time, it seems. I got a feeling this night won't be like the other ones,)" thought Don Corneo, smugly.

Aeris and Cloud both nodded to Tifa, and she nodded slowly back to them, and she went in with Don Corneo, very reluctantly indeed, to his bedroom, though she planned to take act quickly and interrogate him long before that sort of dirty action could happen.

Aeris had to go alone with Kotch back to the dungeon room, while Cloud was forced to go alone with Scotch back to his lounge room. About five other men, all of them subordinates of Don Corneo, were there, as Cloud and Scotch both entered the lounge.

        Meanwhile, back at the Slums of Sector 7, and inside Tifa's Seventh Heaven bar, Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all sat on bar stools crowded around a radio in the middle of the table, all of them listening intently to it, as Tifa had successfully arrived inside Don Corneo's mansion, and now they had just listened as Aeris had suddenly came into earshot of the radio, evidently speaking to Tifa, and the whole group were shocked to then hear that Cloud was alive and well, and was also there in the mansion himself, disguised as a girl.

        "Well, I'll be damned. I thought that damn spiky haired show-off was a goner back there on the Reactor bridge. Looks like the dumbass didn't know when to die after all, this is damn well good news, now we've got an even better chance of finding out what the Don's up to, with us or Shinra. I should have known it wouldn't be the last we see of Cloud," said Barret, thoughtfully, satisfied that the plan was going even better than they had expected.

        "By the sound of it, this girl with Tifa, Aeris I think she called herself, was there to save Cloud's life when he fell, and by the looks of it she's following him around too, even into the Don's mansion. Another possible ally?" wondered Jessie.

        "I guess so, no one here can deny the fact that we could certainly use more members for the fight against Shinra, and it looks like Cloud has decided to back us up once and for all this time. With those three there, and us lot here, we'll be able to find out if Shinra's up to anything, and if they are, then we can put a stop to it from what we find out," said Biggs.

        "(Damn straight, those Shinra bastards ain't gonna get the better of us, no matter what they can devise against us. We'll just outsmart them again, and overcome whatever plan they've got to destroy us. They don't know we're right about to find out what they're up to, so we'll have the upper hand, and they'll be foiled once again,)" thought Barret, as Wedge then spoke.

        "I don't know if that's all that easy, I feel really uneasy and nervous about all this, something just doesn't feel right here, not at all. I think Shinra's really going to push to the extremes this time, no matter how many lives they have to take, so that they can insure that we're dead once and for all. They're gonna start fighting fire with fire, sacrificing lives to achieve their goals, just like we did," said Wedge, anxiously.

        "Just what the damn hell are you saying, Wedge!? Shinra ain't gonna have any advantage over us, we'll be ready and waiting for their plan thanks to Tifa and the others. To destroy us, they'll need the element of surprise on their side, but they're not having that, so we can just give them the slip like we always damn well do," said Barret, sternly.

        "Quiet, both of you! Stop arguing for a moment, and just listen to the radio. I think the Don's just chosen Tifa among the three of them, and they're heading over to the Don's bedroom, which means Tifa will be ready to attack and question him any time so. We'll need to pay full attention to what he says, or this will have all been a waste of time," said Jessie.

        The AVALANCHE group all fell silent and listened intently as Tifa and the Don's footsteps abruptly stopped all of a sudden, which meant they had arrived at the room, and now the time for confessions had finally come.


	18. Wall Market: Lounge Chaos

**_Chapter 18_** **_Lounge Chaos_**

Cloud grimaced as he entered the lounge room following Scotch, and noticed that there were five other men inside the room as well, and knew of all of them were cronies of Corneo, he could tell by the fact that they were all giving him rather sleazy and dirty looks.

Cloud was still effectively disguised as a girl of course, and knew that so far, none of them had yet recognized him for what he really was under the dress and the wig. He still wore his regular clothes beneath the dress, and it had taken an effort to flatten his spiky blond hair under the wig, but he had just about managed it.

And then there was Cloud's sword, the Buster Sword; the expertly crafted type of sword that Shinra had often made back when they were just a weapons manufacture, and they still made them to this day so that members of SOLDIER would use them. Cloud knew that there was no way the sword would ever fit underneath his dress with his regular clothes.

So instead of being discovered with a gigantic sword in his hands, which would have given him away in less than a second flat, he had used a secret, special feature of the sword that Shinra had been able to operate on it.

With just the press of a button on the sword's hilt, the large blade completely withdrew back into the large hilt of the sword, leaving him only with the hilt to carry in his dress pocket, and if he pushed the button again, the blade would fully come back out, and he would take all these men by surprise, but for now he had to wait for the right moment to strike.

Scotch walked over to the back of the room, and stopped there, looking back at Cloud with a leer and a snicker, and the other men also stared at Cloud, as Scotch then spoke up.

"Hey guys, we've got a special guest here. Don't worry your pretty self, girl; we'll take real good care of you. This is all thanks to the big boss, Don Corneo that we get all these girls to do what we like with them. Hey, three cheers everyone, for Don Corneo, master of Wall Market!" shouted Scotch. The other men cheered back, each raising their glass of beer and drinking them down quickly. Scotch turned to face Cloud.

"Well then guys, are we all ready to show this little lady what we get up to?" asked Scotch, with a mischievous, nasty smirk that Cloud completely despised. At his words, the men had all gotten up at once, and moved creepily towards Cloud.

They all got up and moved over to Cloud with their arms outstretched, ready to rape him at any moment's notice, but the joke was on them, this wasn't just a helpless girl that they were dealing with this time, it was a man with a hidden gigantic sword, and he was reaching the end of his limits in patience and in his temper too. Cloud kept trying to move away, and was succeeding too, pushing past them and dodging them. Scotch finally noticed this, and frowned sharply.

"Now what's going on here? What's wrong, girl? You want to keep me company, instead? Are these jerks bothering you, eh? Don't worry about them, missy. I'll keep them away from ya, and I'll have ya for myself," said Scotch, grinning.

"(Alright, that's it!! I've had, I don't care anymore! I'm never putting up with this again for another minute, not with pretending to be a girl, wearing this dress and wig, and these guys all drooling at me, well NO MORE! I've had ENOUGH!)" thought Cloud, murderously enraged, as he spoke up with a large deal of forced calm.

"No way, I'm flattered and all that crap, but no thanks, I'd much rather vomit instead," said Cloud, spitefully, trying hard not to blow his cover, but he was getting very pissed off and extremely angry, his fists tightly clenched.

"What the heck…? Why the hell not then, bitch?" asked Scotch, sharply, starting to get suspicious and annoyed.

"It's because…well…I just AIN'T interested in any bunch of dirty rapist scum like YOU!!" roared Cloud, finally not able to take it anymore, as both his temper and patience completely exploded.

Cloud leaped backwards from Scotch and the others in the air, landing on a table in the middle of the room, and he then withdrew the hilt of his sword from his dress pocket, and firmly pressed the button on it.

At once, the gigantic blade sprang out from it into place, and using the blade, Cloud cut through his dress at once with sheer contempt, and sliced it right off him, revealing his regular clothes, his SOLDIER uniform, and he reached up and tossed his wig off, revealing his own spiky blond hair.

He then leaped right off the table, and slashed at it with his massive Buster sword straight across the middle of it in pure fury, and in seconds sliced it into pieces and wooden shreds as if it were just warm butter.

Some of the men took some horrified steps backwards from him, completely amazed and terrified by the sheer Mako enhanced strength of the man who had just revealed himself, to their absolute shock. Scotch gawped at Cloud, before he too seemed to explode with sheer anger.

"W-What the HELL!? A MAN!? Goddamn it, you freak!! Do you really think you can just get away with this shit, daring to humiliate us like this!? All of ya, kill him at once! Kick the crap out of him!! Kill the freak now!!" shrieked Scotch. Three men obeyed at once, and attacked Cloud. They were all armed with basic handguns, but Cloud was not concerned.

One of them quickly fired his gun at Cloud, and bullets flew towards him, but Cloud calmly held his huge sword in front of him as a shield, and just managed to block the bullets just in time with his sword, the bullets flying off the strongly crafted blade. Cloud then raised his sword, and swung it at the man, slashing right at his face and splitting it right open, blood flying everywhere as the corpse fell dead to the ground.

Horrified, the other man frantically fired his gun at Cloud, but Cloud just managed to hold his sword in front of him again, which blocked the bullets from hitting him as before. Cloud then rushed at the man, raised his sword and slashed it right through his chest, killing him instantly as the body fell hard.

The last man fired his gun, but once again, Cloud was able to deflect the bullets away from him using the strong blade of his sword. Cloud then raised his sword, and slashed it through the man's mid section, killing him instantly, and then, wiping off the bloodstains that covered his sword, Cloud spun around to face Scotch, who was looking beyond livid.

"What the damn bloody hell's the matter with you useless good for nothings, huh!? Alright then, come on over here, I'll show you losers how it's done!!" screeched Scotch, as he took out his own gun and sprang forwards to attack.

Scotch and the two other men in the room then attacked Cloud at once. Scotch quickly ran up to Cloud and then whacked him hard in the face with his gun, catching him by surprise and knocking him down to the floor, his face aching with pain, and feeling his nose bleed.

The other two men did the same thing as Scotch, and struck Cloud hard in the face with their guns before he could avoid them in time, knocking him backwards across the floor, and causing him to strike the wall hard.

Wiping some blood from his nose, Cloud quickly leaped right back up off the floor, raised his sword, and slashed it right through one of the men in a flash, killing him in one blow through the neck before he could even move an inch aside, the head flying in a trail of blood and striking the whole of the room, while the dead husk fell to the floor without sound.

Scotch then quickly fired his gun right at Cloud, twice in quick succession, many bullets firing towards Cloud, but he just managed to block all the bullets with his sword just in time, as he felt some of the bullets just whiz past him.

Cloud quickly sprang forwards as fast as he could, raised his sword at once, and slashed it straight through the other man, killing him in one blow through the chest, and then Cloud spun around and faced Scotch. The two of them were now the only two living people in the room.

Scotch fired his gun at Cloud, bullets quickly flying towards the Ex-SOLDIER. Cloud tried to leap out of the way of the line of fire, but he couldn't avoid the last few bullets in time, and he was shot in both of his arms by the bullets. Cloud fell hard to the floor, and he clutched his bullet wounds and couldn't help but yell in agony, blood starting to trail down both his arms, as pain blazed through them.

"(Ha, that shows the freak for thinking that he could just make fools of the Don and of me, and for believing that he would ever seriously have a chance of escaping here alive after his damn intrusion. Whoever this guy is, he's sure not gonna be wearing any dress no more,)" thought Scotch, with a large deal of morbid glee, as he prepared to kill Cloud right there.

Scotch smirked in clear triumph, thinking that he definitely had Cloud finished once and for all now, and aimed his gun right in the direction of Cloud's head, and was about to fire as his finger just started to squeeze the trigger, when suddenly Cloud leaped straight off the floor in a flash with warning, catching Scotch completely off guard, as Cloud had intended to do, and he raised his sword and swung it at him.

Scotch tried to jump away from Cloud in an attempt to dodge and avoid the murderous slash, but he didn't go back far enough in time, as Cloud swiftly swung his sword, which slashed straight through Scotch's arm, and sliced the whole limb right off, sending it falling to the floor, in a shower of blood.

Scotch fell to the floor, and screamed in extremely pain and agony, and was barely able to fire his gun at Cloud from his now only arm, which he did so twice. The bullets were poorly aimed this time though and all of them missed wildly, and as a result, Cloud didn't have to even move to avoid them.

Despite what he had just done to Scotch, Cloud still felt murderously enraged, his fury quickly consuming him as both his arms badly hurt and bled, and with a cry of rage and hate, he rushed forwards.

Cloud ran over to Scotch at amazingly quick speed before Scotch could even react, as Cloud leaped high in the air before him, raised his sword, and then brought his sword down on Scotch, the solid hilt of his sword striking him hard on his head and knocking him unconscious instantly, blood flowing from the stump where his arm had been, spreading across the already extremely blood stained floor.

Strangely enough, when Cloud went to strike Scotch down with his sword to finish him off, he hesitated and found to his own sheer surprise that he wasn't too bothered at all about finishing Scotch off at all, deciding to just leave him like this to serve as a big reminder for the guy in the future, so he left him unconscious, badly bleeding and wounded on the floor with only one arm left intact, and Cloud withdrew his sword into its metal locks behind his back.

With no one else left to fight past, and remembering that both Tifa and Aeris would need help, Cloud quickly left the now bloody lounge room, but he was limping, clutching his arms in agony as pain flared from the bullet wounds, leaving him in a great deal of agony from the wounds, and he knew that neither a Potion or a Cure Materia could heal them.

"HELP!!" screamed Aeris, suddenly, over from the dungeon room down the upstairs floor of the mansion, sounding both desperate and terrified, and Cloud knew at once that he needed to get to her as soon as possible.

Wasting no more time despite the intense agonizing pain that flared through his arms, Cloud quickly ran as fast as he could in his current condition down the stairs of the dungeon, although it made him wince as he did so, the sheer pain of the bullet wounds flaring up.

Kotch was chasing Aeris around the dungeon room, his arms outstretched, as Aeris kept trying to avoid him. Aeris was back in her regular clothes now, having gotten rid of her dress disguise. Evidently, like Cloud, she had also been wearing her normal clothes beneath her dress too.

"Hey, wait you! Ha, ha, ha! Come on, come on! We don't want that little body of yours to be getting all tired! Come on, just once! I won't tell anyone, I promise! I just wanted to act like I got a cute girl for once! Just once!" shouted Kotch, insistently.

Aeris ignored him though, and quickly ran over to Cloud on the stairs, noticing him there, with a big sense of relief, but Kotch still followed her up there. Mustering up all her courage, deciding it was about time that she defended herself instead of always relying on Cloud to save her, Aeris turned back and faced Kotch on the stairs.

"I'm so sorry," said Aeris, quietly, and she meant it too, but then she quickly pulled out her long and solid quarterstaff anyway, and she whacked Kotch hard across the head with it, sending him staggering backwards.

Without pausing, Aeris then struck Kotch hard across the head once again with her staff, causing him to lose his balance and send him tumbling hard down the stone stairs, crashing hard into a stone table in the middle of the dungeon, knocking him unconscious in the process, but not killing him.

Just like with before, Cloud wasn't bothered about finished Kotch off, and Aeris didn't like killing anyway, so they just left him unconscious on the dungeon floor. Both Kotch and Scotch would live through their injuries, but it would take them both a long time to recover. Cloud didn't give a damn about it either way though, and he turned to face Aeris.

"Aeris, are you alright now?" asked Cloud, looking clearly concerned. Aeris nodded in reassurance at him, but she seemed slightly irritated by what had happened back there, and she was clearly worn out too, as she panted for breath.

"I've already told you this fact loads of times, Cloud, so start listening to me for once. I'm used to danger, and I always have been, alright? However, to tell you the truth, my heart was really pounding fearfully back there. But if you take me lightly, you're going to pay for it," said Aeris, grinning slightly. Cloud looked urgent and impatient now.

"Come on Aeris, let's just stop wasting time, we've got to go help Tifa interrogate Don Corneo, remember?" reminded Cloud, sharply. Aeris nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you're right, Cloud, we should go find and help her right now. Let's just hurry before anything bad happens to her," said Aeris.

They both started to walk onwards up the stairs, but the pains from Cloud's bullet wounds flared up intensely, and Cloud fell to his knees on the stairs in agony, clutching his arms, which still bled freely, and the sheer intense pain was getting really unbearable now. Aeris dropped to his side in concern.

"Cloud, what's wrong?" asked Aeris, clearly very worried.

"Shot…in the arms…" gasped Cloud, as pain assaulted him.

"Hold still," said Aeris, gently, as she began to pray.

While she was praying, Aeris set Cloud's head in her lap and smoothed some of the blonde hair from his face. A blue globe of energy suddenly appeared and sprung to life between her now outstretched hands, dancing between her fingers, and sending a chill through her whenever she touched the blue ball of energy.

Gently, she concentrated and willed the ball of light to expand slightly, spreading her arms slowly until it was now big enough to cover Cloud's bullet wounds several times over. Aeris closed her eyes and slowly pushed the glowing sphere of energy down into Cloud's chest, and it vanished into him.

"(One of my more unique and strange abilities, the power to heal someone even from the brink of death itself, as long as they regain consciousness. I used this on Cloud before at the church, and he'll be able to recover now too,)" thought Aeris.

Waves of biting cold shot through Cloud at once, splitting through the dark haze that had just made up his world, and snapping his eyes wide open. Cloud blinked and rubbed his eyes, then took a deep breath and glanced around, noticing suddenly that the pain from his arms were gone, and his bullets wounds were all completely healed.

"Well Cloud, you really gave it your best shot this time, I can see that, but at least you're still alive," said Aeris, smiling with a great deal of relief.

Cloud looked up at Aeris with a blank expression. It wasn't until he reached down to touch his now faded bullet wounds that he suddenly realized what she had just done. Even the bloodstains were gone.

"What…what just happened…?" asked Cloud, astounded, standing back up on the stone stairs, and staring at Aeris in sheer amazement and disbelief.

"You were hurt and wounded, Cloud. So I healed you, and helped you back to full strength again, just like I did back in the church yesterday. That's all," said Aeris, quietly, with clear modesty, and she stood back up on the stairs.

"(How can she just stand there and act as though this is all just no big deal? Just how the hell can she DO all of these things, for crying out loud? What's her secret? That's the second time she's healed me and saved my life now, and I do owe her a lot for it, but there's no way I'm not finding out about why she can do all this. After this situation with the Don is over, I'm going to find out her secret once and for all, whether or not it comes from either her, Shinra, or her mother, I will find out the reason once and for all, and that's a promise,)" thought Cloud, determinedly.

Cloud was still completely astonished that Aeris had just been able to heal him and save his life yet again, in exactly the same way that she had previously saved his life back in the church, but then with a start, he remembered that Tifa was in danger, and needed to be assisted at once.

"Come on Aeris, let's get going right now, and find Tifa before she might get in big trouble," said Cloud, urgently, and Aeris nodded at once, as they both rushed over to Don Corneo's room, without another word, quickly running towards the Don's bedroom as fast as they could, both clearly very worried for Tifa's safety, as they entered the middle room of the upstairs floor, and rushed over to the door of the Don's room.


	19. Wall Market: Interrogation Of The Don

**_Chapter 19_** **_The Interrogation Of The Don_**

Meanwhile, Tifa and Don Corneo were both alone in the Don's bedroom. Tifa was sitting on the side of the bed, and Don Corneo was sitting on the bed at the other side of it, having done nothing yet, and Tifa certainly had every intention to keep it that way.

"Come, come now, don't be so shy, babe. We're all alone now, just you and me in here with a bed. You're just so cute, I never get tired of looking at you," said Don Corneo, with a rather sleazy and perverted look.

Tifa was finding it very hard to conceal the sheer amount of loathing, disgust and revulsion that she felt, and she was filled with boiling anger, and had to restrain herself as much as she could to keep calm, as she answered back.

"Yes, I know about that already, but I would like you to just explain something else to me before we start, Don Corneo," said Tifa, with forced calm, hoping to trick the Don into revealing the information about Shinra's plans that she wanted to know. Don Corneo grinned stupidly.

"Oh, you mean about that? Don't worry, I'm single. Feel better now? And I've had all the tests done. I'm as healthy as a horse. I'll take you through it slowly, step by step. So come on, let's get to it!" said Don Corneo, licking his lips in a disgusting way on his ugly face.

Tifa started to get very angry now and enraged, feeling a strong temptation to beat the Don to death, but she still stayed calm as best as could, so that she wouldn't blow her cover, though the fact that the Don certainly seemed to have a one track mind wasn't making things easy at all.

"No, I'm not asking about anything like that at all. That's not what I had meant; I wanted to know if…no, stop it! Wait a minute, just stop! No, not yet, wait!" shouted Tifa, quickly and desperately, as she saw that Don Corneo was creepily coming towards her, the look in his eyes telling her that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Oh, come on, come on, I just can't wait any longer, let's just get it on now! Here comes papa!" exclaimed Don Corneo, excitedly, as he sprang forwards on the bed to grab her.

Don Corneo quickly lunged at Tifa, but he had definitely underestimated her, as she quickly leaped out of the way and off the side of the bed, and then, not caring about staying calm anymore, Tifa swung her foot at him, wanting to punish him for what he tried to do, and her foot struck the Don's face with a loud thud, her heal directly striking his eye.

Don Corneo screamed with such agony that it made Tifa flinch despite herself, as the Don fell flat on his face on the bed, screaming in pain, and clutching his face with his hands, and Tifa noticed that a fair amount of blood flowed from between them, dripping downwards to stain the bed. Just then at that moment, Cloud and Aeris arrived, bursting into the room.

"Cloud, you came!" said Tifa, happily and clearly relieved, and she quickly rushed over to his side, as Cloud looked at her, and then in bewilderment at Don Corneo, who lay screaming and squirming on the bed in obvious agony.

"What the heck happened to him…?" asked Cloud, raising an eyebrow, as he watched the screaming Don. Tifa looked a little sheepish, but not regretful at all.

"I think I might have just half-blinded him, he was really coming onto me and getting on my nerves, so when he lunged at me, I just erupted and kicked him hard in the face. I think I struck his eye by mistake, so he won't be able to see out of that anymore, but never mind, as far as I'm concerned, he deserves it. Now, let's begin the interrogation, he still knows things that we need to find out about," said Tifa, and Cloud nodded.

Don Corneo stopped screaming as his pain seemed to fade away a little, but he was still whimpering and covered his ruined eye with his hands, and looked around with his one good eye, noticing that Cloud and Aeris had both just burst into the room now, standing beside Tifa, who he knew had just attacked him like this, and they stood looking down harshly at him.

"What the hell's going on here, why was I just attacked by that girl!? And who has dared to enter my room, just who the hell are you people!?" shrieked Don Corneo, in clear agony, obviously not understanding what was happening.

"You just shut up, you're not in control here, your cronies have all been dealt with, and you're under our orders now, so just shut up, and do as we say! But I'm guessing that you still don't get it yet, do you, Don Corneo? You don't know who we are, and you still don't know what this is all about, right?" asked Tifa, sourly, with such a sharp edge of venom to her tone of voice, that the Don flinched in clear terror upon hearing it, and could only splutter in answer.

Tifa quickly took off her dress, ripping it off her in disgust, and throwing it aside as she got rid of her dress disguise. Like Cloud and Aeris, she had also been wearing her regular clothes underneath her dress, as she took out her fighting gloves, and put them firmly on, cracking her knuckles with a threatening and imposing sound that echoed around the room.

"G-Get w-what…?" stammered Don Corneo, fearfully, still rather confused and bewildered.

Tifa snarled in anger and pure hatred, making Don Corneo tremble wildly in fear, and without warning, Tifa then punched him hard in the face, breaking his nose, more revenge for what he had attempted to do before. Don Corneo screamed in pain, blood flowing down his nose, mixed with the agony caused from his already ruined eye.

"(Argh!! This is the worst pain I've ever felt, make it stop, make it stop! This nightmare can't be happening, no one hurts me like this!)" thought Don Corneo, as Tifa shouted at him.

"Just shut up, if you really are that stupid, then we'll spell it out to you instead!! Consider this is a personal visit to you from AVALANCHE, I'm sure you've heard of us. We're asking the questions now Corneo, so listen up! What did your assistants find out about us? Why were your cronies snooping around the Sector 7 Slums? Talk now, and just tell us the answers we want to know!! Because if you don't tell us…" said Tifa, dangerously, with a nasty glare at the Don, before glancing pointedly at Cloud. Catching on, Cloud snarled angrily at Don Corneo, and withdrew his massive sword from its metal locks.

"If you don't tell us anything, then I'll chop your those balls of yours right off. We all know that you've got heavy Shinra ties, Corneo, so you know what we want to find out. Now answer her question," threatened Cloud, coldly, taking out his sword, and poked it against Don Corneo's pants, and at this, the Don now trembled with great fear, his one good eye wide with terror, while he still clutched his hands over the other, his own blood covering his face.

"NO, NO, NO! Not that, please don't do it, anything but that! I'll talk, I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything you want to know, just don't do it! It was Shinra's idea, not mine, I swear!" insisted Don Corneo, absolutely terrified of them and looking at them with great fear, even jumping in fright every time they talked or moved.

"So TALK," ordered Tifa, coldly. Don Corneo gulped.

"Shinra knew that AVALANCHE were based in the Slums of Sector 7, and they wanted to know their current location in Midgar at the moment. And to do that, they just needed to see what place their leader was at. I made my subordinates find out where the leader, the big black man with the gun-arm was, and to make sure that he wouldn't leave Sector 7, when Shinra would begin their act against them. But that's only what I was ordered to do," explained Don Corneo.

"Ordered by who?" asked Tifa, curiously, listening intently to the Don's explanations, as were Cloud and Aeris.

"NO, NO, NO! If I told just you who sent those orders over to me, then he would have me killed at once for leaking information!" screamed Don Corneo, very terrified indeed, but Tifa snarled angrily at him, getting impatient.

"Talk Corneo, just answer us! NOW! Because if you don't tell us what we want to know…" said Tifa, menacingly, a low growl in her throat, and this time it was Aeris who caught onto this, and decided to help as well, as she spoke up.

"Then I'll rip those balls of yours off. I rather think that it's in your best interests not to refuse our request for answers, Don Corneo. Now answer her question," threatened Aeris, (although she was just acting and playing along with this interrogation, but Don Corneo didn't know that at all) as she held out her quarterstaff, and poking it hard against Don Corneo's pants, next to Cloud's sword.

Aeris grinned smugly at Cloud and winked at him, clearly pleased with her own acting in this situation, as Don Corneo's fearful trembling increased, and Cloud could tell that Aeris was clearly enjoying this, as Don Corneo's composure completely cracked, and he shouted out the answer.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you, I'll tell you who did it! It was Heidegger of Shinra Incorporated! Heidegger, the high ranking top army general of Shinra, second in command to the President himself, and head of Public Safety Maintenance!" wailed Don Corneo, clearly extremely terrified.

"The head of the Public Safety Maintenance Department just sent important orders to you!?" shouted Cloud, surprised and astounded. Cloud almost dropped his own sword in his big shock, and he began thinking to himself.

"(Heidegger, the leader of the SOLDIER troops…? He was my boss back when I was with Shinra…but how exactly would the head of the Public Safety Maintenance Department of Shinra try to destroy AVALANCHE? The Turks, the SOLDIER program and the Shinra Army are the main branches of the Public Safety Maintenance Department…)" thought Cloud, thinking heavily.

"(If Heidegger really is that serious about getting rid of AVALANCHE once and for all, than First Class members of SOLDIER, and the best Shinra soldiers around will probably already be assigned to take out them out right now. The Turks wouldn't be too far behind them either, and they'd be organising the attack itself. But what exactly are they planning to do to deal with AVALANCHE…?)" wondered Cloud, troubled by what these events could mean for the rebel group, or for himself for that matter, as Tifa shouted at the Don again.

"Did you just say that Shinra Incorporated sent you those orders!? What are they up to now!? Talk, answer us now! If you don't tell us what Shinra's up to…then I'll smash your balls in," threatened Tifa, raising her muscular fists, ready to smash his balls (which she could easily do), if he refused to speak.

With his one good eye and his hands still clutched over his other one, Don Corneo looked around at Cloud's sword, Aeris's staff, and Tifa's fists, with even greater fear, and he was more terrified of them than ever now, and when he spoke, his tone of voice trembled, and he was shaking in terror.

"Y-You…y-you're all really serious about this situation here, aren't you? Well, for your information, I'm not fooling around here either, you know, so I'll tell you exactly what Shinra have got planned for your petty little rebel group. Shinra is trying to crush AVALANCHE'S resistance against them for good, and they want to infiltrate and destroy their hideout, with them all inside it. And they're really going to crush them once and for all…literally…by blowing up and destroying the gigantic Pillar in the Sector 7 Slums, which means that they'll break the support structure that holds up the massive section of the Plate (with the Sector 7 upper city on it) right above the whole Slums of Sector 7 itself," explained Don Corneo, nervously.

There was a long, stunned silence as Cloud, Tifa and Aeris all went quiet at once, and simply just stared at him, all of them now wide-eyed and horrified at the very thought of what he had just told him. It was a very gruesome plan that Shinra had.

"THEY'RE GOING TO JUST BREAK THE PLATE SUPPORT!?" screeched Tifa, alarmed and filled with immense horror at the very thought of Barret and the others, and all of the citizens of both Sector 7 cities, all getting killed and crushed to death in an instant as the Plate would fall from above. Don Corneo nodded, and even he seemed rather spooked at the thought.

"You all know what will happen to them if the Pillar holding the Plate above them explodes, don't you? With the Pillar gone and out the way, the Plate will go PING, and with no support to hold it up above the Sector 7 Slums, it will fall right down at the lower city, and then once it hits and flattens the entire place, everything's going to go BAMM, destroying both the lower and upper city of Sector 7, in fact the entire area of Sector 7 will be completely destroyed! I had heard from Shinra Incorporated that their hideout was in the Sector 7 Slums, so they assured me that's the only Sector they're getting rid of. I'm just glad that AVALANCHE'S hideout wasn't here in Sector 6. Okay, I've kept to the bargain, and told you everything that Shinra are up to concerning AVALANCHE! That's all I know! I swear, now just leave me be!" insisted Don Corneo.

Don Corneo was then bawling by the time he was finished, making him look completely pathetic, and then he began to scream in agony as the intense pain from his ruined eye flared up once again.

Cloud withdrew his sword, Aeris put her staff away, and Tifa lowered her fists, having found out what they needed to know, but had got more than they bargained for, as none of them expected anything like this. They were all horrified and speechless with Shinra's plan, and stood in stunned silence.

"(I…I can't believe what I've heard. I'd known for years that Shinra were evil and selfish…but I never thought they would use such drastic consequences to deal with us. Countless thousands of innocent people, from both the upper and lower cities…are going to die along with Barret and the others…we've got to stop this from happening,)" thought Tifa, as she spoke.

"Shinra are going to completely wipe out all of Sector 7 itself just to deal with us!? No, there's no way we can just let that happen, we've got to defend that Pillar from Shinra, and save the Sector. And I know that Barret will take the same sort of action, he and the others will be going to defend the Pillar from Shinra right now, I know they will. But they're really going to need our help this time. This is by far the worst situation we've been in yet, it's likely that we may not survive this at all, but we have to try and save all those people anyway! Cloud, will you come with me to Sector 7 to help Barret and the others defend the Pillar and save the Sector from Shinra?" asked Tifa, clearly very worried and alarmed. Cloud nodded grimly.

"Of course I'll come to help, Tifa. I'm not letting Shinra Incorporated flatten and destroy the whole area of Sector 7 itself, and an eighth of the whole population of the whole city of Midgar just because of our own actions against them," replied Cloud, nodding, and Tifa smiled at him gratefully.

Cloud, Aeris and Tifa then all started to hurry out the room, their task now done here, and a far more important one had just begun, but Don Corneo quickly spoke up to them again, nervously, and they stopped in their tracks, and turned to face him, looking at the Don coldly as he spoke.

"J-Just a second. T-There's s-something that I n-need to ask y-you," stuttered Don Corneo, still shaking with fear and pain, his hands still clutched over his ruined eye.

"SHUT UP!!" snapped Cloud, angrily, and the Don flinched.

"(It's time for my revenge now. No one gets away from assaulting me in my own mansion like this, no one gets away with blinding one of my eyes and striking my face, no way. And they're not going to get away with making me babble on like this, or for getting me in trouble with Shinra now. They'll pay for the damage and suffering they've all caused if it's the last thing I do…I think I should feed them all to Apps, it's been a while since he's had a good human meal to chew down on now…)" thought Don Corneo, as he spoke up, trying to act nervous.

"N-No, wait. I-It will only take a s-second, I a-assure you all t-that. Just how do you think scum like me feels when they babble on about the truth to those that have just wounded and attacked them? Why do you think I would do it? Number 1 – Because I was clueless? Number 2 - Because I was sure to win? Or Number 3 – Because I was ready to die?" asked Don Corneo, and suddenly, he was being strangely calm and casual.

"I vote Number 1. Because you're a clueless bastard. And you value your own worthless ass," said Cloud, coldly, looking rather icily at him. Don Corneo seemed to be considering his answer, in mock thought.

"Hmmm…well, the answer's a close one, but no cigar I'm afraid, and now that you've got my answer wrong, you'll have to pay the penalty for it! Say hi to my pet Apps for me, before he feasts on your skin and bones!" declared Don Corneo.

Then in a flash of sudden quick movement, before Cloud or the others could do anything about it or move from where they stood, Don Corneo suddenly reached out and pulled a hidden lever at the side of his bed with one of his hands, while covering his ruined eye with the other.

A trapdoor then suddenly opened up right below the floor that Cloud, Aeris and Tifa were each standing on, and with a cry of startled surprise and fear, they all fell at once, and plunged straight into the darkness that lay far below them…


	20. Sector 7 Pillar: The Shinra's Plans

**_Chapter 20_** **_The Shinra's Plans_**

Meanwhile, at the top floor (70th floor) of the massive Shinra Headquarters tower, President Shinra was sitting on his throne-like chair behind his huge desk with a big, rather smug smirk on his face. Standing in front of his desk, Reeve and another man from Shinra Incorporated were also there in the President's office with him.

This other man's name was Heidegger, the head of the Public Safety Maintenance Department, in charge of Shinra's army, which included SOLDIER and the Turks, and he was also effectively the second man in command of Shinra Incorporated, being the highest-ranking army general in the world-ruling conglomerate.

He was fat and rather overweight for his age (being around fifty years old or so), had black hair, and a big scruffy black beard that covered his whole chin, and he would always stroke it when something interested or amused him.

He also had a black scar across the side of his face. He wore a highly polished green army-like suit (like a general's) with many impressive medals worn on it, and he worked for Shinra Incorporated, and was also one of the main executives of the whole of the Shinra.

Heidegger was well known and feared widely throughout Shinra for being extremely ruthless and merciless towards his enemies, and he was a little slow-minded and mostly acted before thinking things through, but he was also very loyal to President Shinra, and rarely ever lied about anything.

"(Excellent, AVALANCHE are confirmed to be hiding at their hideout in Sector 7 for a while. Now is the time to strike and deal with them,)" thought President Shinra, as he spoke up.

"Ah, Heidegger, yes I requested your presence here in my office, I am most curious and interested to know what steps are being taken towards our new ingenious plan. So how are all the preparations for this task going then, Heidegger? How is the plan progressing?" asked President Shinra, curiously.

"Ha, ha, ha, yes the preparations are going brilliantly well indeed, Mr President, sir! Things are running smoothly at the moment! Very smoothly indeed, the Sector 7 mission is getting underway at once, and soon we will be ready to strike there at any moment now! You'll be pleased to know sir, that instead of entrusting this mission to amateurs, I have now assigned all of the Turks themselves to complete this job as strictly ordered, and of course there is no one around who are greater professionals than them. With each of them working to bring down the Pillar, AVALANCHE won't stand a chance of defending it. They should all complete the mission as planned with ease, and place a highly powerful bomb upon the Pillar, which cannot possibly be deactivated at all; we have made sure of that. All of this means that in about another hour, we should witness from here the fall and destruction of Sector 7, and with it the final fall of AVALANCHE too! We can't possibly lose, with the Pillar out of the way, the part of the Plate above them will crush the whole area and all those rats, there's no way they can escape or stop us!!" laughed Heidegger.

"(Yes, at last the scum and filth of the vermin who call themselves 'AVALANCHE' will finally be washed away, or in this case, flattened out! Those fools who dared to stand up against my own army and kill many of my assigned Shinra soldier troops, well this action will make them wish they never tried to stand up against us in the first place, this will really make them all suffer,)" thought Heidegger, smugly.

Still clearly very anxious and really concerned for all the innocent citizens of Sector 7, if not AVALANCHE, in both the upper and lower city of the Sector, Reeve desperately tried again to protest against the plan to destroy it all.

"President Shinra, I really must protest, please do not go through with this massacre! Are we really going to go ahead and do this just like that? Simply destroy such a small rebel group with only a few members consisting of even less then ten people? And are we really going to bring down the Plate and destroy all of Sector 7 itself just because of the actions of only one small terrorist group? Can't we just send the Turks out after AVALANCHE themselves, and kill them then without having to destroy the Sector?" asked Reeve, desperately.

"What's the problem now, Reeve? You want out of this plan, is that it?" asked President Shinra, sharply, his voice icy and cold. He got up from his chair, and he walked over to Reeve and Heidegger before his own desk, looking long and hard at Reeve, who flinched slightly, looking nervous as the President stared coldly at him for an answer.

"…No, I do not intend to back out of this, but as the head of the Urban Development Department, I have been heavily involved with all the building and running of Midgar's buildings and constructions, which includes all of Sector 7…that's why. Sir, please reconsider this plan. Even if the vast losses of thousands of lives isn't important to you, think about the cost that the destruction will cause, due to the fact that so many of our buildings are going to be destroyed if we carry out this plan. Both the destruction and rebuilding of Sector 7 will take almost all of Shinra's financial resources to sort out," explained Reeve, but the only answer he got in response was a harsh laugh from Heidegger.

"Oh for god's sakes, Reeve, you should have just flushed away all those damn personal problems and stupid regrets about this plan in the morning, because we're carrying it out no matter what you think of it. Just remember this, Reeve; we are doing all of this for the safety and welfare of all our great citizens within all of Midgar. Even Sector 7 will be saved from AVALANCHE'S terrorism once our mission succeeds," said Heidegger, laughing scornfully.

"The mayor of this city is completely against this plan of ours, anyway," said Reeve, frowning sharply and nervously, and knew full well that this was a very lame excuse indeed, but he had to think of any possible reason that might stop Sector 7 from being destroyed. President Shinra only sneered at the comment however, and Heidegger laughed harder and more nastily than ever at Reeve's words.

"Mayor, that loser Domino!? He just sits on his lazy ass in this building all day, stuffing his face! And yet you still insist calling that old pathetic, good-for-nothing, shit-head bastard, 'the mayor of this city' that WE ourselves created? Besides, we have far more power and rule over this whole city then that pathetic fool could ever have or even wish for. So who cares what the so-called mayor thinks about us or this plan? He's just an old, useless pile of trash that the public have no respect for at all anymore. HE'S DISPOSABLE, REEVE! Now then, I think I've made my point, so if you'll excuse me, sir, I must tell the Turks to begin at once," said Heidegger, turning back to face President Shinra, saluting to him.

Heidegger then left the room with another cold laugh, while Reeve started to run after him to protest not to go through with telling the Turks to go begin the plan, but then thought better of it, stopped in his tracks, and turned back to face President Shinra.

"(There's got to be another way of doing this plan, I refuse to believe that hundreds of thousands of lives must be sacrificed in order to destroy AVALANCHE for good, there has to be a way of killing only them, and not all those citizens. It just doesn't seem right that so many people should die because of the acts of only six rebels,)" thought Reeve, as he protested again.

"Mr President, please I'm begging you to reconsider this decision. Aren't there any other alternatives that we can use to destroy AVALANCHE instead?" asked Reeve, desperately, in one last final plea. President Shinra sighed and shook his head in a rather mocking way.

"Why, of course there are other options to take, Reeve, my friend. But this one is by far the swiftest and most flaw-resistant of them all. That's why we've decided on it. Besides, it's the greatest opportunity that we've ever had to turn the whole city and even the world against AVALANCHE once and for all, to show them all that they are nothing more than murdering terrorist scum," said President Shinra.

Reeve nodded slowly in response, saying nothing more, his head bowed hopelessly in despair and disappointment, as he now knew that there was nothing more he could do for the sake of the citizens of Sector 7. President Shinra frowned at him, noticing his clear depression.

"You're clearly very tired and worn out from all this work you've been doing for me lately, and a rightful vacation is long overdue. Why don't you go take a couple of days off and go somewhere? The keys to the resort in Costa Del Sol are in my helicopter. Take them and a change of clothes, and get out of here for a while. In fact, don't come back here until noon tomorrow. You're far too overworked in these dark days of rebellion," said President Shinra.

Reeve just nodded in response, still saying nothing to the President, and scratched at his goatee, a nervous habit that he had picked up since being pushed up the ranks into the Shinra Executive Committee, and becoming the head of the Urban Development Department decades ago. He couldn't take a vacation now, not when all of Sector 7 itself, that he had worked so hard to build, was going to drop like this, and kill hundreds of thousands of people along with it. This was too important to pass up.

But seeing as how there was nothing more that he could do now, Reeve slowly nodded to the President and he left the room without another word or even a glance in the direction of his boss. As Reeve walked out, President Shinra sniggered and muttered to himself just as soon as Reeve had left his office completely, and the door had closed behind him.

"We'll completely annihilate Sector 7 and those damn rebels along with it, and then we'll report to the whole world that AVALANCHE did it all, leaving none alive. Then we'll send in the rescue operation care of Shinra Incorporated, to families of the deceased, showing our support and care to the public of my precious city. Then we'll report that we have hunted down AVALANCHE, and have ordered their execution on sight. Heh, heh, heh, this whole plan is just TOO perfect," said President Shinra, sniggering evilly and madly.

"(When we report to the public that AVALANCHE destroyed Sector 7 out of an act of terrorism, we must make it clear that the rebels are all still alive even if they're already dead, since it will look very suspicious if they come to the conclusion that the rebels died in their own terrorist act. So we'll send a report soon after the Sector 7 one, saying that we have found and killed AVALANCHE, and Shinra will be labelled as the heroes of the Planet, and the people will come to trust us far more than I could have previously hoped,)" thought President Shinra.

He then broke into hysterical laughter that echoed through his whole office, as he looked out his large window down at Sector 7 itself, eagerly awaiting it's destruction as if he were a child waiting to receive a long awaited present, while his company's plan would soon finally begin.

Meanwhile, Reno and Rude had both arrived at Don Corneo's mansion, having heard that AVALANCHE, namely the guy with spiky blond hair and the strange flower girl, had been there, and they went over there to investigate. They had to confront Don Corneo's private, muscular bouncer outside the front door of the mansion. He blocked their way at once, as Reno and Rude both stopped before him, and he spoke in an intimidating way, though both Turks were indifferent to it.

"Sorry, but I can't let you through here, even if you two Turks are part of Shinra Incorporated, the Don has already picked his companion for the night, and does not want to be disturbed at this moment. Besides, no men are allowed in here at the time of the Don's choosing, you Shinra people know these rules, by agreement between you guys and the Don, so come back tomorrow," said the bouncer.

Reno merely looked icily at the bouncer, shaking his head, and was completely unconcerned by the fact that the bouncer was at least a foot taller than him, and Reno was by no means short, being rather lanky.

"You know, somehow I don't think so, we're not waiting for tomorrow to see that slimy bastard. We want an interview with him right now, and I don't give a shit about his damn rules, Shinra call the shots here, not your damn ugly freak of a boss," said Reno, coldly. The bouncer still didn't move.

"I'd say that you've hit the booze just a little too early this morning, pal, I know how much you like to drink, Reno of the Turks. And you're still not getting past into the mansion right now, so come back later, it's the Don's strict orders for him not to be disturbed at all during this time, not even during Shinra business," said the bouncer. Reno snorted at him.

"So, just what the hell do you think that's supposed to mean to me? It means jack shit to me, that's what! This meeting is going to happen right now anyways, whether you or your damn boss likes it or not. Is it really too hard for you to tell that Shinra Incorporated rules over your Don's petty orders and services, or are you just too thick and naïve to realize it?" questioned Reno, coolly.

"(Why the hell doesn't this idiot move out of the way already, I've got far better things to do with my time than deal with arrogant morons who think they're all tough, but are really cowardly and weak. No person should ever underestimate their enemy after all, and this guy doesn't seem to understand how much more power Shinra has than the Don,)" thought Reno.

"Well, there's only one way to find that out, Turks. If you aren't gonna leave here quietly, then I'll make ya do it by force, even if you are members of the Turks of Shinra or not," said the bouncer, raising his massive fists menacingly.

The large bouncer stepped forwards, and tried to punch Rude across the face, mistakenly thinking that Rude wasn't prepared for it, as Rude had been completely silent so far, but the bouncer was in for a surprise, as Rude merely ducked his head and dodged the blow with extreme ease.

Rude looked back coldly and unblinkingly at the bouncer, indifferent towards the man, who looked shocked at seeing the Turk dodge his punch like it was nothing at all to him, and then the bouncer was finally beginning to get scared for his very life, and for good reason too.

Rude hadn't said anything, but the look in his eyes told the bouncer the Turk was going to kill him right there and then at that moment. Rude suddenly raised his own muscular fists, and punched the bouncer hard right in the stomach, knocking all the wind out of him.

The bouncer gasped in sudden agonizing pain, feeling as though he'd just been struck in the stomach by an anvil or a train rather than just Rude's fists, meaning that Rude was clearly a great deal stronger than the bouncer had bargained for. Suddenly, the bouncer threw his head back and vomited, due to the sheer force of the blow to his stomach. And it wasn't just lunch that he threw up, it was his blood too.

Reno grimaced in disgust at the scene, but a nasty, mischievous smirk was still spread across his face as he watched Rude beating the bouncer to death, as the bouncer coughed and spat out some of his own blood.

"(No matter what happens, I just do my job. Whether it means killing, kidnapping, spying, assassinations, or sabotage, I have no problems with having to perform all these tasks, just as long as they are completed, I am fine with them. Even when putting up with arrogant guys like this one,)" thought Rude.

Without warning, and in an amazing display of speed and strength, Rude suddenly grabbed hold of the bouncer tightly by his throat, easily lifting his feet right off the ground, dangling him in mid-air, and Rude then quickly squeezed the bouncer's throat hard, strangling him and killing him in an instant as a wince inducing snap was heard. Emotionlessly, Rude released his grip and dropped the dead bouncer to a heap on the ground, the neck of his victim snapped.

"Now that the naïve loser is out the way, shall we go in and have this little interview of ours with the Don, Rude? How about if I do all the talking, and you do the 'just looking tough' part?" asked Reno, coolly, his hand on the front door of the Don's mansion.

Rude just shrugged in response, seemingly unconcerned and rather indifferent, as Reno grinned and then he opened the mansion door, and walked calmly through it, and entered inside Don Corneo's mansion, followed inside by Rude.

The two powerful Turks of Shinra quickly ran up the stairs, and came to the room on the right of the upstairs floor, and they looked inside it. Several of Don Corneo's goons lay dead on the floor, at least six of them in total, some with limbs missing from their bodies.

Reno couldn't help but notice that all of them had sword wounds inflicted on them, and the wounds seemed to have come from a large wide sword. Only one of the men seemed to be alive, and unconscious, but it looked this fellow had one of his arms completely sliced off, and might well be dying due to blood loss. Reno was unconcerned about this however, wanting to find anyone who could tell them what had happened.

Reno and Rude then both noticed the room to the left of the upstairs floor, the dungeon, and they walked down the big set of stairs down to the room. When they got there, they at once spotted Kotch, who had a rather nasty bump on his head and lots of bruises across his body.

Kotch seemed badly beaten up, and he walked slowly over to Reno and Rude, clearly limping and wincing with pain with every step, but the man still clearly recognized that Reno and Rude were both Turks for Shinra. Reno walked up to Kotch, looking menacing.

"Please…don't hurt us," gasped Kotch, in agony.

"What's been going on in here? What happened to cause so much carnage in this place? Why all the sudden commotion in here?" demanded Reno, sharply. Kotch gasped in pain from his injuries, before slowly answering.

"The Don…just came down here to see what was going on, and saw that his men had all been attacked and killed, and I was the only one still standing. The Don looked in rather bad shape himself…think he was half blind. I asked him what happened, and he told me what went on in his room. It was spies…it was spies that attacked us and the Don…one of them was a man with a big sword, who had disguised himself as a blond-haired girl. After he assaulted the others, he and the other two spies, both girls, went into the Don's bedroom and leaked some really important information out of him. The Don's gone back to his room right now, so he can tell you all this himself…" explained Kotch, slowly, wincing in pain.

Reno grinned triumphantly to himself, knowing exactly what Kotch was talking about, and fully understanding now about what was going on in the mansion. He turned to face Rude, knowing that their investigation had succeeded.

"Rude, you chain and restrain this scumbag down here, while I'll go to the Don's room, and see what I can find out from Corneo," said Reno. Rude nodded and obeyed.

Rude suddenly grabbed Kotch who screamed in fright, before Rude knocked him unconscious with one hit to the head. Rude then put Kotch on the table, shackling him down to it. Reno smashed down Don Corneo's door in a smash with his Nightstick, and barged into the Don's bedroom.

Don Corneo was standing just nearby his bed, and was then shaking and shivering with intense fear as soon as he saw Reno come in the room, and it was clear that the Don was absolutely terrified, knowing full well who Reno was, and what he was going to do to him.

Reno could see that someone had certainly done a number on Corneo, his nose looked to be broken, and one of his eyes was clearly ruined, but he had no sympathy for him whatsoever, as he stormed over to Don Corneo, his face a mask of very intimidating fury.

"Alright then, now tell me this, just where the damn hell are they, Corneo!? Answer me, where are they!?" demanded Reno, sharply.

Don Corneo flinched in terror, knowing that there was no way his traps were going to work against the likes of the Turks, knowing exactly what they were capable of, and then he spoke very nervously.

"T-They…?" stuttered Don Corneo, shuddering in terror.

"Yes Corneo, THEY! 'They' as in the one guy with the big sword who was dressed up like a girl, and the two gorgeous girls who were here too along with him!" snapped Reno, sharply, enraged. Don Corneo flinched again, shaking wildly in fear, more than ever, as he hastened nervously to explain what had happened.

"U-Uh…t-they're already gone, Reno, and there's no way they can be found alive again. I…I dropped them down into the sewers of the Slums, with a switch-operated trapdoor that opened up just below their feet. Apps needed a good feeding anyway, he's been hungry for a person to eat for a bit of a while. Apps stays down in the sewers, and I feed him some people who cause me trouble, disrespect me, or go against me. Once someone's sent down into those sewers with Apps waiting to feast on them, they never make it back out, and they're never seen again, so the spies have already been dealt with," explained Don Corneo, nervously.

Snarling with rage, Reno suddenly grabbed Don Corneo tightly by the collar of his shirt, easily lifting him off his feet, and Reno hurled the Don forcefully onto the floor, slamming him hard into a wall, his head striking it heavily.

Don Corneo screeched in clear pain from the sheer force of the strong impact with his wall, and he then looked up in sheer horror and fear at Reno, shivering and shaking more than ever. Reno looked down at him coldly.

"You good for nothing slimy, dirty, sleaze ball. What the hell did you tell them all before you dropped them down into those sewers? What information did you dare to reveal to them, to go against Shinra to save your own worthless life?" questioned Reno, sharply, with a menacing snarl.

"I-I told them n-nothing at all, n-nothing about S-Shinra or A-AVALANCHE," stammered Don Corneo, his voice nervous and stuttering now.

"Oh, I know you far better than that, Corneo, I'll know that you'll try anything you can to save your own skin, whether it's lying to me right now or bargaining with Shinra's enemies. Now tell me the truth, since one of your own cronies already told me that you had revealed something important to those damn scumbags. I know you'll tell me the truth about what happened eventually. Because if you don't, if you keep daring to refuse, I'll make you glad that your 'subjects' don't have one of these," said Reno, coolly taking his Nightstick weapon out of his jacket like a sword.

Several blue high-voltage sparks circled the electrically charged-up weapon, causing no effect to Reno since he was handling it himself, as powerful electrical sparks flowed from the weapon. Don Corneo's one good eye widened in immense and overwhelming horror, and he was starting to visibly sweat in fear, as well as shake all over in overwhelming fright.

"(Oh god, just when I think that this nightmare of a day cannot possibly get any worse, it suddenly presents yet another life-threatening scare,)" thought Don Corneo, as he protested.

"AH, NO, NOT THAT! I-I'm s-sorry, I-I'm s-sorry for telling those AVALANCHE spies everything about what Shinra plans to do to them, Reno…b-but what does it matter now that I did? They're in the sewers now, and Apps will get them down there anyway, so they'll have no chance to escape and reveal to their allies about what I told them, so there's no harm done, right?" asked Don Corneo, nervously.

Reno merely glared down angrily at the squirming form of the Don, pointing and aiming his Nightstick down at Don Corneo threateningly, knowing the tricks the Don often used, and there was no way he was going to fall for them.

"Get your lazy ass up and move it! You're coming back with us to Shinra Headquarters, and you can just explain your actions to them in our custody, so come on! NOW! And don't you even dare try anything to resist arrest, or I'll just kill you where you stand!" ordered Reno, sharply, poking Don Corneo hard in the spine with his Nightstick, making the Don wince in pain at once. Rude then entered the room, and walked up to Reno and Don Corneo, noticing them there. Reno turned to face him while keeping his Nightstick aimed at Corneo.

"There you are, I was wondering what took you. But we've found out what we came here for anyways, it seems this freak's revealed the Sector 7 plan to those guys. Rude, it looks like all of Shinra's information about their plan has been leaked. Cloud and the girls have got away already, down in the sewers, so we've got to take this scumbag into custody," said Reno, and to his surprise, Rude then spoke.

"I was already on my way to this room earlier, but I got an urgent call from Tseng. It seems he wants both of us and the new recruit to go to Sector 7 at once to begin the plan, and he wants one of us to set the bomb onto the Pillar, and to keep AVALANCHE fighting in the area as the Pillar blows up and the Plate crushes them. We can escape in time on the helicopter just before the whole Sector blows up though," explained Rude, calmly. Reno seemed thoughtful.

"Hmmm…well, since he's no doubt asked us so nicely to take control of this whole plan of Shinra's, then I guess we'll get over to Sector 7 at once, to complete the destruction of AVALANCHE and the whole Sector once and for all. Least this way, we get a front row seat to watch the fireworks of the Pillar exploding, and the whole place being crushed and then blown to bits. Should be quite an intriguing sight, and the pay for this will be good," said Reno, with a broad grin.

"D-Does that mean that you guys won't have to send me over to Shinra Headquarters after all?" asked Don Corneo, hopefully, but flinched as Reno glared back at him.

"Hell no, you're not getting away with being a squealer against us, Corneo, you're going to pay the full price for it, I assure you of that. And wait until Shinra discovers that you sent down the girl they so intently want," said Reno, darkly.

"Sent down what girl…?" asked Don Corneo, nervously, looking thoroughly bewildered, before a look of dawning comprehension spread across his face.

"Wait…there was a brown haired green eyed girl in a red jacket and a pink dress here with the other two spies, and that matches the description that I got from one of my subordinates, Vulcue, about the girl that Shinra wanted to capture so much…which means that…" said Don Corneo, slowly, looking suddenly horrified.

"Exactly, Corneo. You may well have just sent down the girl, who Shinra are completely intent on capturing ALIVE for their most important and greatest plans yet, to her own death! Nice going, you stupid jackass, now Shinra really are going to punish you severely for this, if we discover that the girl isn't alive and safe for their purposes. Either way, it's bad, since either your pet sewer monster will eat her, or she'll escape it and travel to Sector 7 with those other two members to warn AVALANCHE of our plan, at the exact moment we plan to destroy the entire place! NOW GET TO THE COPTER!!" barked Reno, furiously.

Don Corneo jumped up in fear, before he then quickly scrambled to his feet, and squealed in terror as Rude grabbed him tightly by his shirt collar, and dragged him easily across the floor and down the stairs before leaving the mansion, as the two Turks made their way back to their helicopter, with Don Corneo still in tow.

Reno and Rude got back to the helicopter, dragging Don Corneo along with them, hurling him hard into the copter, and Shinra soldiers aimed their guns at him inside so he wouldn't try anything sneaky. Don Corneo had no choice but to Shinra Incorporated.

But there were much greater and more pressing issues at hand now that were far more important to the Turks and to Shinra. Besides, even if Cloud and the others could manage to escape from the jaws of Apps, the Sector 7 plan would take care of them and AVALANCHE permanently, despite a certain man's opposition…

Meanwhile, back inside the Shinra Headquarters itself, in the main office of the Turks, Tseng sat back behind his desk in his office as the leader of the Turks, and at that moment, he pressed a button on his mobile phone, terminating the call that he had just been speaking to.

"(Hmmm, so Aeris and her two allies have been sent down to the sewers, where Corneo's pet Apps dwells within it. The Don's confident that Apps has killed them, but I seriously doubt that will happen, they'll survive against it,)" thought Tseng.

Heidegger, effectively Tseng's main boss due to having complete rule over the Turks division, was also standing in the office behind Tseng's desk, and looked rather impatiently at him, just as Tseng ended his call at that moment, and spoke up before the Turks leader could say anything.

"Well, what has happened over there in Wall Market, do Reno and Rude both have the rebels that were spotted there or not? Have they questioned Corneo about this situation, or has this investigation been a complete waste of time, when we could be beginning with the plan to deal with AVALANCHE right now?" questioned Heidegger, sharply, his tone of voice sounding both rather harsh and agitated. Forcing calm upon himself, Tseng answered him.

"Yes, that was Reno who just called. He informed me that the rebels spotted were indeed in Corneo's mansion, but the Don sent them down a trapdoor into the sewers, so we have no idea of their current location or condition. Also, it seems that the flower girl was with them at the time, so that could mean disaster for our future plans. For now, Reno and Rude have Don Corneo in their custody, but first they are heading straight for Sector 7 at once, to begin the mission there, and the new recruit, Elena, will also be there once I fly a separate helicopter over there and drop her off to help out with the mission. The three of them there, plus platoons of Shinra soldiers, means that AVALANCHE won't be able to put up a resistance strong enough to stop us from setting that bomb onto the Pillar, effectively dropping the Plate to destroy the whole Sector once the Pillar explodes," explained Tseng, patiently and calmly, as Heidegger listened intently.

"(Something about what Tseng just said makes me wonder whether or not he intends to join the other Turks to reach the Sector 7 Pillar to destroy it. He seems sure he won't go, well he's wrong about that,)" thought Heidegger, as he spoke up.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I could have sworn I just heard you say that the other three Turks will be there, but you made it sound as if you yourself are not going to take part in this mission. Well tough crap, Tseng, you ARE going to take part in this plan of ours with the other Turks whether you like it or not, so get to it!" ordered Heidegger, rather sharply, glaring hard at Tseng, who simply answered him back calmly.

"You are right indeed, I did intend to explain that I will not take part in this particular mission unlike the others, and that's not because of fear or disapproval of the plan, but of the fact that I have a possibly even more important task to intend to," said Tseng. Heidegger looked at him incredulously, as he barked back at him.

"A more important task than the one that deals with our only serious threat and enemies once and for all!? Just what the heck do you think you're talking about, this is a matter of the up-most importance and urgency, there's no way we can focus on anything else but this, nothing else matters at the moment except bringing down all of AVALANCHE for good!" snapped Heidegger, angrily.

"Oh, is that so? What about the important matter of the girl, Heidegger, the one that Shinra so intently wants to catch and take in alive, to serve for their important feature plans, hmmm? She is the key to what could well be Shinra's greatest success of all, and we need her alive in our custody to achieve our ultimate goal, as you should know. And now there's a possibility that this same girl might be heading out of the sewers to Sector 7 when it gets destroyed, so I must find and intercept her before she can get herself killed, then she will be in Shinra's custody once and for all, I'll personally see to that myself," said Tseng, determinedly.

"And what if you fail to catch her yet again, just like all those other dozens of times in these last few years, then what do you suppose we do about it if you keep failing, huh? What if you just let her give you the slip once again, the same way that you always did whenever you tried before?" questioned Heidegger, sharply. Tseng looked back coldly at him.

"(After all the times I was merciful towards her, after all the times I just let her escape and make excuses for it, and all those times I comforted her when her boyfriend was gone, she would still not give me a chance and accept my feelings for her no matter how hard I tried, well no more!)" thought Tseng.

"I won't just let her escape again, not this time. Because when I do find her out there in the Slums, or in the sewers, I'm showing her absolutely no mercy whatsoever, I'm not letting her get the better of me anymore…" said Tseng, with a rather menacing snarl of rage, his fists clenched tightly in fury, as he vowed to himself that Aeris Gainsborough wouldn't be getting away from him this time…

Meanwhile, inside Tifa's Seventh Heaven bar at the Slums of Sector 7, Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie had all still been listening to the radio on the table, as Tifa was secretly carrying a hidden radio transmitter device.

The whole group had heard every single thing that Don Corneo had revealed to Tifa and the others there about Shinra wanting to bring down the Pillar and Plate, destroying Sector 7 in the process in order to kill AVALANCHE in the area.

Listening to this plan, all the members of the AVALANCHE group in the bar were speechless and horrified, not for themselves, but for the many citizens living at Sector 7, in both the upper and lower city, who would all be killed, and only because of their presence in the Sector.

The group were still listening to the radio, all silent with horror at what they had just heard Don Corneo reveal, none of them had been expecting Shinra to commit such an act to try and deal with them, so many innocent people would die.

Just at the moment they heard Tifa and Cloud say there were going back to help defend Sector 7, Barret snapped out of his stunned trance, and suddenly slammed his one fist hard onto the radio on the table in rage, shattering it, which meant they couldn't hear anything from Cloud and Tifa anymore, but they didn't give it much thought, they'd found what they needed to know. But they didn't know about the Don's trapdoor…

"DAMN IT! Damn those bastards all to hell! Instead of going about this in an honourable way by just dealing with us alone, the assholes have to take the cowardly way out and kill us along with thousands of their own citizens! Those bastards, they really don't give a shit about no one but them damn selves, there's no way we ain't letting them just come here and destroy this Sector, we gotta defend that Pillar and save these people here and above! If Shinra want a fight from us, then they're damn well getting a fight!" roared Barret, burning with pure anger and determination, his mind fully made up.

"I agree, although this plan of Shinra's comes as a shock and causes fear among all of us, we still have to go and do the right thing and save Sector 7, save everyone living here before its too late. It's our fault that Shinra plan on destroying this Sector anyway, us being here, so we owe it to the citizens to protect them, and maybe it will redeem us a little from causing hundreds of deaths because of the explosion at Mako Reactor N01," said Wedge, solemnly.

"Then we'll have to go over to the Pillar at once, since Shinra are bound to begin this plan of theirs while they know we are still in this area, they're probably on the way to the Sector right now as we speak. But if we make it to the Pillar first and defend it's operating systems at the top of it, there is still a chance that we might be able to stop Shinra from planting the bomb there by holding them off, but once they plant it, we won't be able to disarm it, I fear…Shinra will make sure of that," said Jessie. Biggs nodded grimly.

"Yes, that's true, I've heard of bombs that sometimes can't be deactivated unless a special code is used that only very few people would know about. Shinra will no doubt use this sort of method for their bomb so we can't disarm it at all. But if we can just hold them off long enough, Cloud, Tifa and this Aeris girl will come to help us defend the Pillar like we just heard them say, and once they come here from the Don's mansion, we might be able to succeed," said Biggs, thoughtfully.

Looking thoughtful, Barret stood still in the middle of the bar for a long moment, thinking the whole situation through, and pondering what the others had all just explained, knowing that they were right, and decided without any doubt that they would go to the top of the Pillar to hold off Shinra, and then hopefully defeat them in the Sector once they had the help of Cloud and the others.

"Alright then, let's get going at once! We'll all go to the top of the Pillar just nearby here, and stop Shinra from blowing it up, and causing the Plate above to crush this place! Marlene, you stay here, and don't you leave here alone. If anything bad happens, I'll come back for ya," said Barret, looking at Marlene in worry and concern, as she stood behind the bar counter, and he was rather reluctant to leave his very young daughter alone here in such a situation, but he had no other choice.

"Okay, I'll stay and I won't wander off alone, I promise, but just please be careful and come back safely, papa. Go save all the people from the baddies," said Marlene, softly, and even at such a young age, it was clear that she had complete faith and trust in her father.

Barret nodded, and as he prepared to leave, he waved back at her with a fond smile, both of which Marlene returned, and then Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all quickly ran out of the bar, and ran over to the Pillar that towered high over the Sector 7 Slums, holding up a section of the massive Plate above the whole place.

Biggs, Wedge and Jessie each had a shotgun armed, while Barret, of course, had his gun-arm and his muscular physical strength. Biggs also had a few grenades, and Jessie had some daggers with her, while Wedge also had his sniper silencer gun with him as well.

The great Pillar itself of Sector 7 stood fifty meters tall, and it had a huge set of stairs spiralling around it leading straight up to the top of the Pillar. The Pillar was holding up the part of the Plate that was above the Slums of Sector 7.

Shinra Incorporated were planning to destroy this Pillar and make the part of the Plate above fall right on Sector 7 with no more support to hold it up, crushing it and killing them all in the process, to stop their resistance for good.

So they all knew that Shinra needed to blow up the Pillar with a bomb, and to do that, they needed to place it onto the Pillar's systems, which were at the very top of the Pillar at the top of the massive amount of stairs that led up to the platform on top it, which had the control systems.

"Alright then, let's get to the top! Shinra haven't planted the bomb or even arrived here just yet, but they're obviously gonna send someone over here to place it on the top of the pillar, who's gonna arrive here sooner or later. I expect that dozens of Shinra soldiers will be assigned to hold us at bay, while Shinra tries to set the bomb. We'll go to the top of the pillar, and guard it from Shinra, no matter what they send out or throw at us. You all got that?" said Barret, sharply.

"Yeah, we got it, Barret. We all understand the situation here, and we know full well what we have to do to stop Shinra from destroying this whole place and killing us and the citizens," replied Biggs, nodding.

"Alright, come on then! Let's go!" shouted Barret.

Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie at once all ran over to the beginning of the stairs at the bottom of the Pillar. Suddenly, the large entrance gate of Sector 7 opened up, and many Shinra soldiers came rushing through it and quickly charged into Sector 7, and ran towards the Pillar and the AVALANCHE group, who all looked in shock and alarm at the incoming soldiers.

Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie looked up at the vast amount of stairs of the Pillar above them, and also noticed some Shinra soldiers at the top of the Pillar, and they were coming down the stairs towards them. Barret swore loudly as he saw groups of Shinra soldiers rushing at them from behind the stairs of the Pillar, and others coming down from the stairs.

"Damn it, the Shinra soldiers are already here, I hoped we would have more bloody time than this! And now we're all completely surrounded by them from the front and from behind too! There's no way we can concentrate on the threat of both sides like this!" shouted Barret, alarmed.

"(Ah nuts, he's right about that…we can't make it to the top of the Pillar if we've all got to keep looking over our shoulder for enemies behind us, while at the same time trying to focus on any threats in front of us too. We'll never reach the top of the Pillar that way to stop Shinra setting the bomb, and the soldiers will easily be able to ambush us too. There's only one thing to do now…and I got to do it,)" thought Biggs, grimly.

Looking as though he was in very deep thought and rather resigned as well, Biggs took a few steps back from the stairs of the Pillar, and a few steps towards the Shinra soldiers in the Sector 7 Slums that were coming towards them. With his mind seemingly made up, Biggs then turned to face Barret, with a determined look on his face.

"I'll stay here and distract these guys heading towards the Pillar, I'll make a stand here at the beginning of the stairs to stop anyone coming in through here. You guys just get up those stairs now, and deal with the soldiers up there, and then you can reach the top of the Pillar to defend the control systems, and stop Shinra from planting the bomb there," said Biggs.

"But what about you, Biggs!? You can't possibly just hold off and prevent so many Shinra soldiers from coming in through here all by yourself!" shouted Barret, rather alarmed and clearly concerned. Biggs shook his head though, and it was obvious that he would not take no for an answer.

"Don't worry about me, Barret, just concentrate on saving the Pillar and this Sector. Don't even think about coming back to help me, just go up there and defend this place. I'll hold these guys back just fine by myself, I know I can do this, so just trust me on this one. I'll make sure that no one from Shinra enters from this way at all. Just get to the Pillar!" shouted Biggs.

With a cry of defiance, Biggs suddenly rushed forwards a few steps towards the groups of soldiers heading for them in direction of the Pillar. Before the soldiers could act in time, Biggs whipped out his shotgun and fired it in less than a second, as the gun sprayed a bunch of small but deadly pellets across a wide area of where the soldiers were, and in a few shots, eight of them were dead with wounds all over their bodies.

The other remaining groups of Shinra soldiers then started to attack Biggs and retaliate, and they each fired their guns at him, focusing only on him and not the others. Biggs was prepared for their attack, and quickly ran behind the pole of the Pillar, and used it for cover so none of the bullets hit him, but struck the Pillar instead.

Biggs quickly grabbed one of the grenades from his belt and pulled the pin from it just as soon as the sound of gunfire had ceased, and he sprang out of his hiding place, throwing the grenade surprisingly far as it flew to where the soldiers were, and exploded before they could run for cover in time, and terrible screams erupted before quickly being silenced. Nine Shinra soldiers were killed in the explosion, blown to mere bits and blood, and blasting a hole in the ground at where they had been previously standing.

"Barret, get up those stairs to the top now, hurry up and just go! I'll handle this, now get moving, and don't worry about me! GO!!" shouted Biggs, urgently.

Biggs sprang out and fired his shotgun once again, and killed six more of the soldiers in a few shots, as their whole bodies were struck with several small deadly pellets across the area they were in.

But there were still more groups of Shinra soldiers coming in their direction, as they opened fire on Biggs, and there were many of them still trying to get past him, but having far more trouble from this one rebel than they could have bargained for, and they just couldn't get any closer to the stairs with Biggs guarding it so effectively.

Expecting the gunshots before they had even begun, Biggs leaped back and ducked for cover just in time behind the Pillar as the shots missed him and struck the opposite side of the Pillar. As he stood hidden behind the Pillar, Biggs looked at Barret, as his leader finally moved towards the stairs.

"Alright then Biggs, I'll trust ya to hold down them all back on ya own, from entering the Pillar from these stairs, but just make sure you come through this alive! You ain't dying on me until we all save the Planet from Shinra together like we always promised to do!" shouted Barret.

"Just be careful down here against all these guys, and don't get yourself killed, Biggs, make sure you get through this safely," said Jessie, softly, as she quickly walked over to Biggs, and two of them embraced each other tightly for a few seconds, before letting go, and kissing each other briefly, and then Jessie quickly rushed back over to Barret at the bottom of the stairs, and Wedge stepped forwards in Biggs' direction.

"We're all counting on you to hold them all back down here, but please try to stay alive in the process, my old friend," said Wedge, clapping a firm hand onto Biggs' shoulder. Biggs nodded grimly in response, and shook Wedge's hand, before Wedge stepped backwards to the bottom of the stairs.

Without another word, Barret started running up the stairs of the Pillar, and Jessie and Wedge quickly followed him along without hesitation, as Biggs stayed and continued to attack the Shinra soldiers at the bottom, and bravely prevented them from going up the stairs and reaching the Pillar, as Barret, Jessie and Wedge rushed up several flights of stairs.

Having run up for quite a while now on the extremely long staircase that surrounded and spiralled around the whole Pillar itself, Barret, Jessie and Wedge had reached the half waypoint of the stairs, when suddenly the Shinra soldiers at the top of the Pillar rushed down the stairs towards them, and attacked them at once. But Barret, Jessie and Wedge were all prepared for the soldiers, and sprang into action in a flash.

Barret quickly raised his gun-arm right at their direction, and quickly opened fire on them at once, killing eleven of the soldiers above them, as they screamed before dropped dead on the stairs, and some fell screaming to the ground far below after being shot by Barret's bullets.

Jessie and Wedge both quickly got their own guns out too, as they opened fire and each killed eight soldiers above them on the stairs, ending the threat of any more enemies ahead of them on the path of stairs, at least for now. Continuing on their way up to the top platform, Barret, Jessie and Wedge quickly ran up the rest of the stairs to the top of the Pillar.

But once they had reached the very top of the Pillar, and the platform with the system's controls that were just before the main pole of the Pillar, many Shinra soldiers were standing and waiting for them there on the platform, and opened fire on them at once. Each noticing them on arrival, Barret, Jessie and Wedge took evasive action and quickly took cover behind the main pole of the Pillar, so the bullets didn't hit them.

As soon as the gunfire had stopped, Barret, Jessie and Wedge all sprang out from behind the Pillar and attacked the soldiers at once. Barret opened fire on them with his gun-arm, and nine of them were shot dead and killed at once, falling to the floor of the platform lifelessly.

Wedge fired both his shotgun and his silencer pistol at the same time, one in each hand, killing thirteen soldiers in the process. Jessie had sprung forwards to the few remaining soldiers on the other end of the platform, acting quickly before they could attack her.

At once, she withdrew and held her daggers, slashing one of the soldiers straight across the chest with both of them, and the screaming soldier fell to the floor, blood pouring from the wound that had just been opened up in his chest, and he died quickly from it. Jessie then slashed and gutted another soldier with her daggers, killing him at once, then killed two more by ramming a dagger each into their necks at the same time.

Jessie took back her daggers, and then wiped the blood off them, before noticing with horror that one Shinra soldier was still alive, and had aimed his gun right at in the direction of the back of Barret's head, who was none the wiser and would be killed in an instant from the shot.

Letting out a cry of anger, Jessie flung one of her daggers right in the direction of the soldier, who had spun back in surprise to look in her direction, as her dagger flew and stabbed right into his face at once, smashing right through his helmet visor. Jessie winced and looked away in revulsion as the corpse fell dead to the ground without a sound. Barret spun around and realized what had happened, and what could have happened to him just then, if Jessie hadn't saved his life.

"Wow, goddamn…thanks a lot for that, Jessie. I hadn't realized one of them was sneaking up on me, that was a really close call. With so many of these bastards here, it's hard to keep track of them all, and it's a miracle we're not hurt right now after dealing with them, especially me, so thanks again," said Barret, gratefully. Jessie shook her head and shrugged.

"It's no problem, Barret, really. It's just what comrades and friends do for each other, that's all. Anyway, I think Biggs is still coping alright with the soldiers down there, he's keeping them all from coming in still, I can see him all the way down there holding them all off," informed Jessie.

"So far so good then, it's looks like the defence against Shinra is going much better than we could have hoped for so far. Maybe we might just actually succeed after all…maybe Shinra will just give up eventually, and we'll make it out alive," said Wedge hopefully.

"Damn straight, Wedge! We're AVALANCHE, and Shinra always underestimate us to their downfall, and it's the same case this time too! Even if we're smaller than them, we'll bring them down, and they know and fear that we're able to do this too! And with Tifa and Cloud still coming over here to help out, Shinra won't be destroying this Sector!" declared Barret.

Perhaps it was a sudden case of a rather bad and nasty twist of fate, but as soon as the confident and determined words left Barret's mouth, the sound of loud router blades filled the air, and the group watched as a Shinra helicopter suddenly appeared and hovered in mid-air just before the platform of the top of the Pillar where they were.

The side of the helicopter opened up, and out of it stepped Reno of the Turks himself, standing on the big side step of the Shinra helicopter, and clutched in one of his hands, he held the bomb itself, as he sneered over at the three members of the AVALANCHE rebel group, whose hopes of victory had quickly faded away from their minds. Reno shouted out to them.

"Well, AVALANCHE, this is where your short lived and lost cause of rebellion against Shinra is going to end and be buried beneath a mountain of rubble, once and for all! You thought those soldiers were all we had to attack this Pillar, well it looks like Shinra aren't the only ones guilty of underestimating their enemies!" shouted Reno, with a nasty grin.

Barret snarled with rage at the Turk, who had sprung back into the helicopter but left the side door open, as the helicopter suddenly flew around the top platform of the Pillar, aiming its machine guns at the three rebels and opening fire down on them. Barret, Jessie and Wedge all took evasive action, moving out of the way of the line of fire, but were unable to attack the copter as it flew back and fired again, with the group having to avoid its spray of pellets once more.

This cycle continued for a while, with the helicopter flying around the top platform of the Pillar and opening fire on the rebels, while the rebels could only dodge its line of fire, and before they could do their own attack, they had to dodge behind the Pillar yet again to avoid being shot to death by the deadly flying machine. The people in the helicopter, and Barret, Jessie and Wedge all knew however, that the rebels would get tired out eventually, and AVALANCHE were not sure that they could last much longer against this attack from Shinra…


	21. Sector 7 Pillar: Encounter At The Pillar

**_Chapter 21_** **_An Encounter At The Pillar_**

_Vast gigantic flames spread across the entire area, making the whole place as hot as one feels when standing right next to a huge bonfire for a while without moving, flames that stretched even up to the vast night sky, and spread across everything in sight in the town, burning it all away so effectively that none of the fire was even close to fading away, and the sickening smell of burning flesh and the stench of death filled the air._

_A lone figure walked along the town's now flaming streets, among the vast deadly flames themselves, passing calmly through the burning and doomed town in the wake of the terrible destruction that he himself had caused, as all the townspeople died helplessly in the fire, the man stopped at the entrance of the town, and looked back to see Cloud standing behind him in the middle of the town, watching him with immense horror._

_With long hair as silver as the blade of the extremely long sword that he wielded, and with a cape as black as the darkness itself, the man turned to face Cloud with glowing green Mako eyes, an evil smirk spreading across his face._

_Cloud simply stood and trembled in terror as the man threw his head back and laughed, a terrible sound that chilled Cloud to his very core despite the flames around them, and that nightmarish laugh continued, even as his own flames consumed the man and threatened to devour him, the laughter did not cease, even as the flames swallowed him from sight…_

Cloud Strife's glowing blue Mako eyes flew wide open with a start, and he sprang up to his feet in a flash, feeling his heart fearfully slamming hard against his chest like an anvil. Quickly, he shook away all thoughts and memories of that terrible day so long ago now, and his composure was soon restored as he calmed down, looking around at where he was.

He saw that he was in a large sewer that seemed to go on for miles in the distance, and knew that he was in the sewers for all of the Slums themselves, and he rather detested the very thought of it.

Suddenly remembering what had happened before, what Don Corneo had revealed to him and the others in the mansion, and remembering the Don's trapdoor, Cloud realized that he must have been dropping into here, and how long he had been unconscious for now, he had no idea, but knew he had to hurry it make it to Sector 7 to save it before it was too late.

Cloud looked urgently around the area of the sewers that he stood in, searching urgently for Tifa and Aeris, knowing that both of them must surely be nearby here too, with him. He then heard a moan, and saw something stir ahead of him. Cloud rushed over to the source of movement, and felt a great sense of relief as he saw Aeris get comfortably to her feet, and he walked over to her.

"Are you alright, Aeris? Are you hurt from the fall down here?" asked Cloud, concerned. Aeris shook her head, and smiled reassuringly at him, though she seemed troubled by the recent events they'd experienced.

"Yeah…I'm fine, Cloud. Don't worry about me, it wasn't that hard a fall even if it was a fair way down…" replied Aeris, quietly, though she was rubbing her head and wincing as she stood, but she did seem alright all the same. Satisfied, Cloud looked around the area, and found Tifa getting back up to her feet in the sewer, looking very troubled and saddened, as Cloud and Aeris both walked over to her.

"Are you alright, Tifa? Is something wrong?" asked Cloud, concerned by her rather glum, remorseful expression, though she seemed completely unhurt physically.

"Yeah, I guess I'm not hurt or anything, so I'm perfectly fine right now. But this whole situation with Sector 7 is all just so terrible. The thought of Shinra sending the Plate down over the Sector, crushing Barret and the others, along with so many people…it's just too painful to imagine. Whatever Shinra were up to, I never what it would be like this…I never thought they could come up with anything so terrible and heartless…" said Tifa, sadly, rather downcast indeed.

Cloud and Aeris were both completely silent in their own thoughts; neither of them knowing what to say that would offer any comfort in this time. They knew Tifa was right, and for all they knew, it might be over already, and the Sector might have been destroyed while they were unconscious. After a while, Aeris spoke up, trying to offer come small constellation.

"Well, at least the worst thing we've had to do, with all that business with the Don, is over and done with for good now," said Aeris, with a sigh of relief at the thought that she wouldn't have to go through that sort of situation again.

Suddenly at that very moment, as if right on cue after Aeris' words, fate played yet another twist on the three of them as a loud, monstrous roar came from deep within one of the tunnels in the sewer, in the distance in front of them, as they spun around to face its direction in alarm. It had sounded like a roar from a very ferocious and huge monster, and it was coming straight towards them. Cloud smacked his forehead.

"(She just HAD to say that, didn't she? Why does this sort of thing always seem to happen whenever everyone thinks they're safe for now? Now we've got to fight some beast as well as rushing to save a doomed Sector,)" thought Cloud.

"Um…on second thought…maybe the worst isn't over after all…and by the sound of it, not by a long shot," said Aeris, quietly, looking extremely nervous, as she held her staff.

The previously unseen monster roared ferociously, a rather threatening and wince inducing sound that echoed throughout the whole tunnels of the sewer, and the thing seemed to be coming straight towards them, as a large shape came from out of the tunnel shadows, and came fully into view, as Cloud and the others stared at it in alarm.

It was a massive beast with light blue skin, and large jaws filed with razor-sharp teeth, and it had two deadly horns on its head. It had yellow eyes, two arms that looked extremely strong with claws on the end of each one, two legs that seemed slow but rather tough, and a black scaly tail that swung behind it. It had a long, thin tongue that seemed to constantly hang out of its mouth, large amounts of drool spilling from its jaws.

For some reason or other, it also had strong metal chains on its arms that it moved about with effortlessly, and the creature seemed to use them as weapons with its arms, and the thing itself stood at about twenty feet, towering over them, it's head brushing the very ceiling of the sewer.

"What…what is this creature, and what does it want from us? Why is it down here?" asked Aeris, anxiously, as she took a step backwards fearfully from the massive blue-skinned beast that advanced towards them, looking hungrily at them.

"Before Don Corneo sent us all the way down here through that trapdoor, he said something about saying hi to something named Apps before it feasted on our skin and bones. I guess this is what he was talking about…this creature. This thing must be Apps, and if the Don seems to know it so well, then I'm guessing it must be some sort of pet of his. He probably feeds some of his enemies to it down here…which I guess includes us now, which is why this thing, Apps, is here. To devour us," said Cloud, grimly, and Aeris gave a squeak of terror. Cloud guessed that she had no previous experience at all with fighting this sort of monstrous opponent.

"I don't CARE what it is, I'm getting to Sector 7 to save the others, and this thing isn't stopping me!!" screeched Tifa.

As if were responding to this emotional outburst from Tifa, Apps stopped in its tracks before the three warriors who all had the weapons readied to fight it at any moment, but before they could do so, Apps suddenly roared even more viciously than ever, the sound both loud and terrible. Cloud and Tifa gritted their teeth against it, as Aeris covered her ears in instinct.

Suddenly, Apps raised its huge and muscular arms, with the chains dragging up along with them, and it slammed its muscular blue-skinned hands hard against its large chest the same way a big ape would do. Cloud looked on in complete bewilderment, until he suddenly heard something else coming in their direction, and it sounded like a huge deal of water was coming towards them, and Cloud's eyes widened as he realized what was going to happen.

Apps suddenly crouched down on the sewer floor, and clearly braced itself, as Cloud, Tifa and Aeris all saw a massive wave of sewer water heading straight in their direction from the tunnel behind the creature that had somehow caused it this monster wave that seemed to fill the area of the tunnel as it sped towards them, threatening to drown them.

Cloud and the others looked at the approaching wave in alarm and fear, but there was no way they could avoid it in time in the sewer tunnels with it coming so quickly towards them. With no other options, Cloud braced himself for impact as the wave washed over Apps and then struck Cloud and the others, completely washing right over them.

Cloud found himself suddenly under water, struggling to hold his breath in the foul mucky liquid, before the wave finally died down and washed away. Cloud struck the side of the sewer wall hard, feeling completely drenched and water logged, as he coughed and spluttered out the watery filth that he couldn't help but swallow, before murderous and darkening rage completely consumed him. He sprang to his feet, and looked hatefully at Apps, which had stood back up to its feet, growling at him. Tifa and Aeris both lay unmoving on the sewer floor.

"You're not getting your meal from the Don this time, you really picked the wrong guy on the menu now, you bastard!" yelled Cloud, as he sprang forwards in a flash and charged towards Apps, raising his huge Buster sword, and he leapt in mid-air as he reached Apps, who could make no move to stop him in time, as Cloud swung his sword at it. The blade struck Apps at once, and slashed through its left side, the sword cutting through its skin slightly, and dark blood dripped down from it, as Cloud landed back on his feet before it.

Apps let out a hideous shriek, but this time it was one of pain rather than one of threat, as the sword wound in its side was made, but to Cloud's astonishment, the monstrous beast then seemed to just shrug off the injury from that point on, paying no attention to it as it was of no concern, and Cloud had put his full effort into that attack. This situation already wasn't looking good.

Apps suddenly let out a monstrous roar, and suddenly raised one of its big arms in Cloud's direction and then swung it at him, as if the thing wanted to swipe at Cloud and strike at it with his claws, and by the look of it, if such a thing happened, it would have taken Cloud's head right off.

So it was lucky that at the exact moment this happened, Aeris had by now already sprang back up onto her feet in the sewer tunnel, and seeing what was about to happen to Cloud, she clutched a Materia on her quarterstaff, and it flared to life at once, green light bursting at the ground beneath her feet, as the spell was summoned with astounding speed.

Just before Apps could strike at Cloud, several icicles had appeared out of nowhere, and flew straight towards Apps, all of them striking it and shattering as they hit it, causing several cuts all over the creature's body, and causing it to withdraw and fall back in surprise. One particularly long and sharp icicle had suddenly struck Apps in its right shoulder, and ripped straight through it, lodging itself right in the middle of the shoulder. Its dark blood dripped down from it.

Suddenly though, to Cloud's disbelief and Aeris' horror, the huge blue-skinned beast simply raised one of its big hands, and clutched the icicle through its shoulder, and in only one mighty tug of sheer force, it had pulled the icicle from it at once, throwing it aside and shattering it to pieces. Its hole in the shoulder still clearly bled freely, but the monster itself just didn't seem to be affected by it.

"It…it just shook that off like it was nothing at all to it…" gasped Aeris, her beautiful green eyes flaring wide with astonishment and fear at the scene, while Apps advanced menacingly towards them both.

Suddenly, a slim but muscular figure came rushing out of the shadows of the sewers, and Cloud and Aeris both watched in surprise as Tifa came rushing out and charged straight towards Apps, her face a mask of fury. Leaping up to Apps' snarling face, she sent a kick towards it, her leg striking its face hard and causing it to stumble back slightly, then she struck it in the head again with her fists, but it suddenly straightened back up, and simply swatted her aside with one of its large hands. Tifa fell hard to the sewer floor, striking the side of the wall, as she winced in pain.

Furious, Cloud quickly reached for one of the Materia equipped to his sword and clutched it tightly, causing it to glow at once, and green light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet. A bolt of lighting came flying out of nowhere, and struck Apps with a flash of light. Apps stumbled backwards; looking as if it were dazed from the impact, but then it straightened up suddenly, and beat its fists on its chest once again. Cloud gasped in shock, and looked at the two girls.

"Watch out, it's going to summon up another wave!" shouted Cloud, in warning, but as the three turned to look at Apps, it had already crouched down and braced itself, and they could already hear yet another wave of sewer water coming straight towards them.

Tifa quickly sprang to her feet, and climbed the sewer walls with surprising grace for trying to get up such a slippery surface, and she leaped off it and grabbed one of the large sewer pipes overheard, climbing on top of it and holding on it tightly, bracing for the impact that would come.

Aeris clutched one of the Materia equipped to her staff in a frantic and quick motion of movement, the Materia glowing brightly at once, as green light burst from the ground right at Aeris' feet. A transparent, spiritual barrier suddenly seemed to form right around her, keeping her safe within it while also letting her see what was going on. Cloud had never seen this before, and would have gaped at this action too, like he had with Aeris' other talents, but he had to get to safety too.

Cloud rushed over to the wall, intending to use his sword to climb up it, and reach one of the pipes to hold on tightly to it, like Tifa was doing, but Apps had other ideas. Seeing Cloud about to climb away, Apps snarled and in a quick movement of both of its arms, it sent its metal chains all flying straight towards Cloud, as they each wrapped tightly around Cloud's whole body, and pulled him back towards it.

Cloud let out a cry of surprise as his body was dragged towards Apps from the chains, and suddenly Apps swung its both its arms around itself in a circle, swinging Cloud violently around as well, from the chains that had tightened around him from Apps' arms, and Apps then threw its chain forwards with horrifying strength and speed, sending Cloud flying like a rocket off the chains, and he slammed hard with a loud and sickening thud on the tunnel floor in the distance. He lay motionless.

There was a huge scream from Aeris, and Tifa shouted out Cloud's name frantically, but they could do nothing as the waves finally arrived, washing over Apps, which had braced itself for the impact again, and Aeris and Tifa, both protected from the waves, watched in horror as they reached the still motionless form of Cloud, washing his body away, and the waves went out of sight, taking Cloud with them.

Aeris screamed again, but it wasn't of fear, it was one of such fury and rage that anyone would have been completely shocked to hear it come from her of all people. As the magical barrier around her faded, she instantly clutched tightly at one of her Materia, not caring for her safety anymore, but for the first time she could ever remember, she wanted to attack, to kill. Green light burst from the ground beneath her feet as the Materia glowed brightly at once. And at that moment, flames suddenly appeared out of nowhere, as they all struck Apps at once, and did not fade away for a while, attempting to burn away the light blue skin of the monster.

Apps shrieked in clear and intense agony this time, now unable to simply shrug this pain off like with the other attacks used against it before. No, as the flames all spread across its whole body, slowly burning its whole skin and filling the air with the sickening smell of burning flesh, this was definitely the worst agonizing pain Apps had ever experienced.

The flames then finally faded away after ten seconds of burning all around Apps, but the flames had been so hot and intense that Apps was still shrieking in clear agony, it's skin now looking burnt and raw in many places.

Normally, Tifa would have been completely astonished at seeing such a powerful spell of Magic being summoned up by the strange flower girl, but she too was consumed by anger, and paid attention to little else. She rushed towards Apps as soon as the flames had died out, and now it was her turn to let her own rage loose on it.

Tifa sprang up into mid-air right before Apps, suddenly kicking it and punching it several times without stopping at all, striking and knocking its face around dozens of times, and forcing the thing backwards a bit from the fierce onslaught of fists and feet. Its monstrous face was clearly bruised and bleeding now, as Tifa ended her attacks with a final kick in the face, before she sprang back down to the sewer floor, panting for breath, but still looking angry and determined.

Clearly hurt and unable to shake that fact off this time, Apps seemed absolutely enraged as well, roaring ferociously once again, the imposing sound echoing around the sewer tunnels like before, but this time neither Tifa or Aeris were affected by it, they only focused on destroying the beast before them once and for all.

Apps then quickly beat both its huge muscular fists on its now rather burned looking chest, roaring furiously as it did so, and another wave of sewer water quickly sped over towards to them, in far greater speed than the other two waves had come. Apps didn't brace itself this time, with the burns now across its whole body, it would welcome the full impact of the wave of sewer water.

Aeris and Tifa were both caught out by surprise from the speed of this wave, and could do nothing about it this time as the wave struck them. Both girls found themselves under the depths of the mucky sewer water, and both held their breath intently at once, though it was getting quite difficult to do so, but as the waves finally faded down to nothing, both of them were able to gasp for breath, as they were both washed away down the tunnel, and struck the tunnel wall hard.

Both of them sat there on the tunnel floor, panting for breath rather painfully as they both choked on the foul water they had been forced to swallow, choking and spluttering achingly, and their bodies were both clearly bruised from the impact with the wall too. Apps, having not braced itself this time, had also been forced into the sewer wall because of the wave, as it slammed hard enough against the wall to knock the whole thing down where it had hit.

Apps got to his feet from the bits of rubble that were now the mere remains of the wall it had completely brought down, and it stood growling menacingly at Tifa and Aeris, towering over them, as it seemed to have recovered a little from its previous injuries due to the waves. Both of the girls, however, seemed to be struggling now.

Although she was clearly panting heavily for breath and choking a little as well, Aeris quickly got to her feet on the ground of the sewer tunnels, and she suddenly held out her staff in front of her, and then in an amazingly quick series of movements, she spun her staff around several times while closing her eyes and praying at her same moment.

Suddenly, some light blue and white magical energy appeared out of nowhere, surrounding both Aeris and Tifa, touching them both, and then vanishing, completely healing the injuries that they had both suffered, and they were restored back to full strength. Tifa stared at Aeris in complete astonishment.

"How on earth did you just do that, Aeris? How could you possibly heal us completely and so effectively like that without even using Materia in the process?" asked Tifa, looking both highly stunned and impressed.

"Oh right, you don't know yet, do you? Basically, I can be capable of several different talents and techniques that all other people can only dream about. I can't explain to you why that is right now, since there's no time, but healing someone completely even from dying, as long as they're conscious, is one of the my useful capabilities of mine, I find. Like back in the church I go to, I had to use it on Cloud to…" began Aeris, but she stopped speaking suddenly, as he remembered what had happened to Cloud, and she then turned to glare at Apps, which was advancing menacingly towards them both.

"Alright, on the count of three, we both give attack this thing at the same time, and give it everything we've got…for Cloud. We'll finish it off once and for all; I know we can do it, Aeris. Okay then, ready? One…two…three!" shouted Tifa, and at once, both girls sprang towards Apps to attack.

Aeris swung her quarterstaff at Apps, and Tifa swung her fists and feet at Apps at the same time, as they both struck Apps several times each, with their own particular weapons, but Apps merely stood still, seeming indifferent.

Roaring dully this time as if it was getting rather board now, as Aeris and Tifa kept striking it with their respective weapons but seemed to be causing it no harm at all, Apps suddenly raised its tail from behind its back, and swung it forwards at Tifa and Aeris, both of whom didn't see it in time, as the tail smacked them hard away from Apps across their bodies with immensely strong force, sending them both falling backwards and landing hard onto the sewer floor, both of them now clearly bruised and battered from the impact, as Apps towered above the two weakened girls, its tongue hanging from its mouth, and drool spraying from it.

In a quick movement of its arms, with Aeris and Tifa both too injured from the sheer force of the tail's strike to do anything about it, Apps quickly wrapped all its chains around both the two girls, and lifted them up in mid air just above its monstrous head.

Apps looked up at the two trapped girls as it held them above in its chains, and it suddenly opened its huge mouth wide just below them, its massive jaws looking ready to chew, as it began to loosen the grip of the chains to drop both Tifa and Aeris right into its mouth at the same time, right about to eat both of them alive using its teeth at any moment…

Suddenly, something came coming out from the vast darkness, an object that seemed to shine among it all in all its glory. Apps halted for a moment, as this object came into view along with the very person holding it. The object was a certain massive sword, and the person holding it tightly it in his hands was none other than Cloud Strife, and amazingly he seemed to look in perfect condition and up to full strength now despite the earlier attack against him. Something in Apps' eyes seemed to say that it was highly shocked to see Cloud alive, but the Ex-SOLDIER gave it no thought. All he cared about at that moment was slicing this thing to pieces once and for all, for daring to do what it did to him, and most of all, for daring to eat his two dear friends at this moment.

With a cry of immense rage and hatred, Cloud charged towards Apps in a flash, his sword held high in his hands, as he rushed over to Apps, which looked too stunned for a moment to even make a move, and wouldn't be able to react in time anyway, as Cloud leaped into the air just before it, and swung his sword right at Apps' tail, slicing the whole thing straight off Apps in an instant, spraying the whole place with Apps' dark blood as the lifeless limb fell to the ground.

Cloud landed back onto the floor of the sewer tunnel comfortably on his feet, as Apps shrieked in overwhelming agony, its dark blood quickly spreading out from the hole where its tail used to be, and it appeared to be losing a heck of a lot of blood as it spread everywhere, which could only mean that it was surely dying, and could not save itself.

The chains holding Tifa and Aeris loosened as Apps was focusing only on its intense agony now as its blood spread out from it, and both girls fell from the air, but Cloud quickly caught them before they could hit the floor, and sent them down gently on the ground, as Apps still shrieked and swayed on the spot as it still bled heavily.

Cloud clutched a Materia on his large sword, green light bursting at the ground beneath his feet as he did so while the Materia glowed brightly. Some light blue magical energy then suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and surrounded both Tifa and Aeris, vanishing as it all touched them, healing them completely at once. Both girls, now alright again, stood to their feet, looking confused as they saw Apps writhing about in agony and bleeding intensely, until they then looked in the other direction and saw Cloud, looking perfectly alright.

"CLOUD!" shouted both Tifa and Aeris, joyfully at the same time, as they rushed over to him, and they both hugged him tightly, Tifa at Cloud's left and Aeris at Cloud's right. Cloud was rather surprised and taken aback by this.

"Hey come on…you two, let go…I can't breathe…" gasped Cloud, as he was hugged tightly from both sides.

Looking rather sheepish, Aeris and Tifa both let go of Cloud and smiled happily, before the three of them turned their attention back to Apps, who was still clearly shrieking in agony, and was still dying due to blood loss, it seemed.

"What happened to that thing…Apps? And just how did you survive that chain throw and that wave earlier, Cloud? I thought you were dead for sure from those attacks, so what happened?" asked Aeris, rather urgently, and Tifa looked very curious to know as well.

"I just sliced its whole tail off, that's all. Looks like I hit a main weak spot in it while doing so, which I guess explain why it's so weakened and dying now. As for me, well after the wave earlier, I was washed back down the tunnels, knocked out but not dead. When I awoke, I used my Restore Materia several times in order to recover, just like I used on you two, so then I rushed back down the tunnel, found and saved you guys, and here we are," explained Cloud.

Without another word, Cloud suddenly rushed forwards over to Apps, as his sword held high and tightly in his hands, as he leaped in mid-air, and swung his sword down at the dying beast. The blade slashed right through Apps' chest, giving it a clear wound across it and more blood flowed from it, as Cloud landed back on his feet.

Tifa also quickly sprung into action, and leaped up right onto Apps' back, as the monster stumbled about in its intense pain, not noticing her climb onto it. Tifa reached its head on top of it, and at once, she swung her fists down at it at the same time, both her fists striking Apps' eyes so hard and with such strength that it blinded both at once. Now blind as well as dying, Apps shrieked in sheer agonizing pain, while Tifa leaped off its back to land on the sewer floor.

Aeris now took action as well, as she swung her staff with all her might at Apps' legs, and succeeded in sending its feet out from under it, and tripping it up. Apps fell with a loud crash to the ground, unable to get back up in its agony.

Green light burst from the ground beneath Cloud's feet as he clutched a Materia on his Buster sword, the Materia glowing brightly at once. A bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere in the sewer tunnels, and struck Apps hard, sending it flying backwards across the ground, before it slid to a stop, paralysed by the lightning bolt, and quickly dying.

Nevertheless, Tifa felt consumed with murderous rage as she thought of how much time that this beast had made them waste, when it was clear that every second would count if they wanted to save Sector 7, and this monster had made them waste so much time, that it was probably already too late now, everyone in Sector 7 might be dead at the moment, and it was all because of this creature wasting their time and stopping them from helping and saving the people.

Tifa rushed forwards at that moment, running over to the already dying huge beast that lay on the floor of the sewers, but Tifa wanted to make it suffer even more for what it had done, she felt a strong desire to just let her rage loose on it and pound every inch of it she could reach.

Tifa reached the large head of Apps itself as it lay, and she immediately went to attack it, though the beast was now helpless to stop her, as she unleashed a fearful onslaught on the dying creature, her rage and hatred towards it overcoming her completely.

Tifa swung and rammed each of her fists and her feet several times at Apps' head with terrifying speed and sheer strength, striking the creature over and over again for what seemed like ages without stopping, hitting it mercilessly and holding none of her strength back. Even after it's skull had been completely smashed in by her blows long after she had killed the beast, she still did not stop, her rage still consuming her. Aeris looked horrified at the scene, and Cloud finally stepped over to Tifa, he'd had enough of seeing her behave like this now, the battle was over, as he firmly stopped Tifa, and pulled her away from the dead form of Apps.

"Stop that right now! That's enough, Tifa! It's over now, just stop this, it won't help any of us at all to attack a dead corpse all day, so stop trying!" shouted Cloud, firmly, as he tightly held Tifa back from Apps' body with his arms, as she twisted and struggled around in his grip, before she stopped suddenly, and burst into miserable tears instead.

"Don't, Tifa, just don't…" said Cloud, uneasily, as Tifa sobbed onto his shoulder, leaning herself tightly on Cloud, who patted her on the shoulder, and held her awkwardly in comfort, not knowing what else to do. Aeris stood watching in silence, also not really having any idea of what to say.

Finally, Tifa stopped sobbing and drew away from Cloud, steadily calming herself down, but Cloud could see the tears still clearly reflected in her beautiful brown eyes, and he saw a terrible feeling of defeat and hopelessness in her expression, making Cloud feel rather downcast himself. At last, Tifa spoke up to them.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted back there, but I really wanted to punish that monster for making us fight past it, for making us waste so much time down here struggling to stay alive against it, when we could be helping the others defend Sector 7, and all the citizens from Shinra instead. But now that we've had to spend so much time down here, we've already lost our chance of saving the Sector and the people there. The Shinra will already have begun their plan long ago, and Barret and the others can't possibly hold them off there alone for too long by themselves. That's why I was so angry…because now we're already too late to do anything to save the Sector in time…Marlene…Barret…Biggs…Wedge…Jessie…the people of the Slums…all of them are going to get killed, all because this beast Apps delayed us down here…" said Tifa, in a sad voice.

Aeris then stepped towards her, and placed a firm but comforting hand on her shoulder. Tifa looked round at Aeris, who smiled at her in reassurance, but looking very determined all the same.

"If you really do care about them all, if guarantying their safety and lives really does mean that much to you, then don't just give up hope on them now, Tifa. Never give up hope, not until you know for sure that it's all over. Besides, from all the things I've heard about it, it's not supposed to be that easy to destroy the Pillar, and that means Shinra will take a while to bring it down, right? So let's not give up hope until we actually KNOW for sure that the Plate has fallen," said Aeris. Tifa nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah…you know something, I think you could be right about that, Aeris. Maybe Shinra haven't had the time to succeed just yet, maybe Barret and the other are still alive, and Sector 7 could still be intact right now. Alright then, in that case we still have plenty of time left to save the others, and there's still hope of completely stopping the Pillar's destruction from Shinra. So let's get going over there right away, at once," said Tifa, with renewed confidence and optimism.

Cloud and Aeris both nodded in agreement, and at once the three of them climbed up a nearby ladder as fast as they could, then ran further along a sewer, down another ladder and climbed up the stairs at the other side of the tunnel. They then ran further along the sewer, picked up a yellow Steal Materia that Tifa equipped into one of the slots in one of her fighting gloves, and they climbed down a nearby hole.

They then came to a path in the sewer, and walked along it, down some stairs, up some other stairs at the opposite side of the tunnel, and then they ran along the path and climbed up another ladder until they reached a manhole cover in the sewer, to their relief. Cloud climbed the ladder leading up to it, wiped the cobwebs off the manhole cover and pushed it aside, and then climbed out of the sewer, looking around him.

"(Well, on the bright side, at least we've made it out of that sewer and back up to the surface. But by the looks of it, we've made it up into a large, abandoned maze of trains…the Train Graveyard…)" thought Cloud, as he looked at the area.

Looking around at the area that he stood in after coming out the sewer, Cloud saw dozens and dozens of different types of abandoned old train cars around the entire place that lay almost atop one another, all bunched up together, in a sad state of permanent disrepair. Lights flickered on and off constantly from most of them, and the slow buzz of sparks flew from some of the exposed wires that had dropped into puddles of stagnant water that lay around the place.

The old Train Graveyard, as it was commonly known by in Midgar, smelled like oil, burnt rubber, and distant memories that seemed to linger around the place. A thick air of depression appeared to constantly hung around the Train Graveyard like a blanket, and Cloud could feel it settle on his mind. If there was anywhere in Midgar that people made up haunted horror stories about, than it was always the Train Graveyard that they focused it all on.

Cloud quickly turned to face Tifa and Aeris, who had both just climbed out of the sewer manhole, and both of them looked around at the area that they now had to travel through. While Tifa was still looking intently around the area of what may seem like the quickest route to Sector 7, Cloud looked over at Aeris, suddenly feeling immensely guilty that he had brought her into all this, that he had dragged her into this mess in the first place, it was all his fault she was even here. Aeris quickly noticed the expression on Cloud's face, and looked at him as Cloud then spoke up to her.

"Aeris, I don't know how to say this…but I want you to know that I am really sorry about all of this…that I got you mixed up in this whole big mess we're in. All I intended was for you to come with me to Sector 7, but now I've got you mixed up with Wall Market, Don Corneo, and now it's because of me that you're involved in this Sector 7 disaster too. I never meant for any of this to happen like this, if I only had known…" said Cloud, guiltily, but Aeris shook her head at him firmly.

"(Is he STILL going on about all that? And just when I hoped he had stopped saying things like this, he mentions it all yet again. He's always saying how this is all just too dangerous for me, but I think by now that I've proven to him that I can handle it all so far, I can handle being in a bad situation, so I have no regrets about being here, because I can come out of it safely. Besides, I'm already deeply involved in this situation, and there's no way I'm ever backing out of it,)" thought Aeris, as she spoke up to Cloud with a frown.

"Don't you even think about telling me to just go on back home, Cloud, I'd never be able to forgive myself if I just left you two and the other people in Sector 7 to this terrible plan of Shinra's by just heading home. I would go crazy just thinking about it if I did such a thing, so I'm coming along to help out too, and that's final. I'm already involved in this too much to just back out of it now," said Aeris, flatly.

Cloud sighed heavily to himself, knowing full well that she was right, but still couldn't help but feel a sense of unease and guilt towards the subject. Tifa then spoke up, having carefully planned out a quick route to Sector 7.

"I've studied this area around here, and I know the area of this place well, since it's right next to Sector 7, and I saw details of the area of the Train Graveyard from one of Wedge's maps back in the hideout below the bar. From here, we can make it to Sector 7 as quickly as possible, if we can just simply get past all of these trains by climbing and walking across them in the northern direction, which is forwards from this sewer manhole, then we should be able to get out of here, and arrive from there at Sector 7 in the best possible amount of time," said Tifa. Cloud nodded in understanding, looking thoughtful.

"Back at Don Corneo's mansion, you had a hidden radio device planted onto you, right? Even if it's most likely destroyed now from the fall into the sewers, I beat that Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie will already be at the Pillar, defending it. I just hope the Turks haven't made it there yet," said Cloud.

"That's true, I guess they would all know about what's going on here, they would have listened to what Don Corneo had revealed to us, so they must have went to defend the Pillar at once. But I really don't know how long they can hold off Shinra by themselves for. And as for Shinra…well, I always knew President Shinra could be kind of harsh and cruel towards his enemies at times. But I had never once thought, even in AVALANCHE, that he would go this far to destroy us. Wiping out a whole Sector and countless thousands of people just to get at us," said Tifa, with a shudder. Cloud snorted in response.

"Why are you so surprised that the President would take such a drastic act like this, Tifa? He'll do anything at all to deal with his enemies and any threats to him, even take the lives of people who aren't even involved. The man always acts like he has ice water for blood, he's never shown any compassion or mercy whatsoever to anyone. To him, other people are no more than bugs to be squashed," said Cloud, darkly.

"Couldn't you have thought harder and picked a better metaphor to use for that sentence than that, Cloud? It's been used so many times already, it's just getting far too old by now," said Aeris, grinning slightly, while Cloud merely shrugged indifferently. Tifa grimaced in distaste as she once again looked around the area.

"I really do hate being here in this place, it's no wonder nobody comes in here, I don't blame them at all. It's just so cold and lonely around the whole area. It feels like a haunted and silent tomb in here, cursed by the course of time," said Tifa, with a frown of disdain.

Aeris nodded in agreement, shivering slightly due to both the cold air and the loneliness of the Train Graveyard, while Cloud looked for signs of the Pillar. He felt immense relief as he spotted the very top of it in the distance, not too far from where they were, but the most important thing of all was that it was still standing, and they still had time to save it.

"I can just about see the very top of the Pillar from over here, looking far in the distance, but I don't know how much time we have still left before Shinra can still set the bomb, or for how long Barret and the others can still hold them off for. Let's just hurry, we'll need to get there right away," said Cloud.

Full of renewed hope and confidence as they noticed the top of the Pillar still stood proudly intact, Cloud, Tifa and Aeris began to make their way in the direction of Sector 7 and the Pillar at once, rushing as fast as they could past and through the ruined trains in the Train Graveyard. Each of them were hoping beyond hope that they would still make it there in time…

At the beginning of the stairs of the Pillar, guarding it and using the back of the pole of the Pillar for protection from the gunshots that would fire back at him, Biggs sprang out once again while the soldiers reloaded their guns. Taking a grenade from his belt and pulling the pin, Biggs threw the deadly object as far as he could, as it flew right at the Shinra soldiers, who all screamed upon seeing it, and tried to dive out the way, but many could not make it far enough in time as the grenade then exploded.

Eleven more soldiers were killed in the process, blown to bits in the explosion that left another hole in the ground. The other Shinra soldiers headed for cover behind some houses in the Sector and fired back at Biggs. Biggs leaped backwards behind the back of the Pillar, out of the way of the line of fire, and he looked down at his shotgun, fully reloading it while he waited for the moment to strike again.

But because he was crouched down behind the Pillar and therefore not facing the entrance of the Sector, Biggs never saw the new enemy who suddenly arrived in Sector 7, and walked up calmly to the Shinra soldiers. It was Rude of the Turks.

Quickly and thoroughly observing what was currently going on here at this particular area, Rude ran to where the soldiers were firing, hidden behind the houses of Sector 7, and seeing him, Rude walked up to a Shinra soldier in red uniform unlike the others blue ones, and the Turk knew this meant that this guy was in charge of this unit. The leader of the unit noticed Rude, stopped firing and saluted to him, while the rest of his troops kept attacking. Rude spoke to him.

"You, I want your report of this current situation here, soldier, and I demand you inform me of your name as well," ordered Rude. The red uniformed soldier obeyed.

"Rude of the Turks, it is a honour, sir! My name is Trolpier, sir, assigned commander of this group! As for the situation here, one of the terrorist scum of AVALANCHE is currently hiding behind the pole of the bottom of the Pillar, at the beginning of the Pillar's stairs, sir! He's effectively guarding the place, and is using guns and grenades to hold us back the moment we take any step closer, so we are forced to retreat back again. This enemy appears very cunning, sir, it seems we are at a loss of dealing with him," explained Trolpier, formally with a salute, and Rude nodded in understanding, though he frowned.

"Let me get this straight. Only ONE of the rebels is holding your ENTIRE unit back, 'commander Trolpier'? This situation sounds more like a case of complete incompetence for you and your men to me. Why don't half of your men fire at one point, and then the other half fire at another while all of you advance closer to the rebel?" questioned Rude, sternly.

Trolpier spluttered and gawped in response, having no more words to say for this statement, and it seemed he hadn't thought of this until now. Rude shook his head at this, but knew this only meant one thing.

"You're new to this whole 'leading a troop' job, aren't you, Trolpier? Don't bother answering me; I can see it in your face, and in this situation. But don't worry about it, just watch and learn. I'll take care of this terrorist myself…" said Rude, darkly.

"What should we do in the meantime, sir? What's your full plan for taking out that AVALANCHE member?" asked Trolpier, curiously, hoping to amend for his earlier error.

"Just have ALL your troops firing at the terrorist for now, don't stop until I give you my signal. While you're all firing at the terrorist, he will be hidden, but I'll be waiting for him to spring back out once you all stop firing. When he does, I'll fire my own gun at him, as he has not seen me yet. When I've aimed at the position he will appear at, I'll give the signal, and then all of you stop firing at once. Understood?" asked Rude, sharply, as he explained the plan. Trolpier saluted at once.

"Understood, sir! I shall go inform the troops right at this moment!" said Trolpier, and with another salute, he rushed over to his troops, and gave them their new orders while they still obediently fired at where Biggs was hidden.

Rude took out his own handgun, checking its ammo, and saw that it was fully loaded, though only a few bullets would be needed to finish the job. Rude held the gun tightly in both his hands, and aimed it the area that Biggs was hidden at. Once he was ready, he quickly signalled to Trolpier to stop firing. Trolpier nodded quickly, and ordered the other troops to stop too. The gunfire ceased, and Rude concentrated hard, aiming right at where the terrorist was posed to come out…

Biggs had heard the gunfire finally stop again, knowing the soldiers would all have to take the time to reload, and with his shotgun fully loaded now, and none the wiser about Rude being there and targeting him, Biggs sprang out from his hiding place, as he aimed his shotgun towards the helpless soldiers at once, and prepared to fire…

Rude saw the AVALANCHE anti-Shinra rebel spring out of hiding place, none the wiser about the fact that by doing this, he was sealing his own fate. With his gun aimed right at the place where Biggs had leaped out, Rude had concentrated hard on the aim and time Biggs would leap out, and as soon as Biggs came into sight, Rude pulled the trigger and fired his gun…

Biggs had sprung out and aimed his shotgun right at the soldiers, and was just about to pull the trigger, when suddenly something happened to him that he had never expected or could even have anticipated.

A bullet had suddenly struck Biggs straight in the chest.

Biggs was thrown backwards by the force of the bullet that had struck him, so that he landed hard on the first few stairs at the beginning of the staircase, shocked by the unimaginable intensity of the pain that suddenly coursed through him, and he looked down at his chest. His own blood was quickly starting to spread from him where he knew the bullet had struck, and it was spreading so quickly that he knew that could only mean one thing. His time was finally up.

With that fact fully on his mind, and feeling unbearably intense agony spread across his whole body, Biggs straightened back up again, the wounded rebel screamed his defiance at Shinra as he opened fire with his shotgun to the astonishment and fear of the soldiers. Five of them fell dead to the ground as the spray of pellets struck them, and the rest quickly ran for cover from the gunfire. Rude coolly stood his ground though, and aimed his gun at Biggs once again, and fired…

This next bullet directly struck Biggs in his left leg, and his blood immediately began to flow from that as well, spreading down his dark green jeans and staining the ground along with the blood from his chest. Biggs now hung onto the metal railing of the beginning of the stairs that he stood on, blood pouring from the bullet wounds in his chest and leg. With his left leg now limp and useless, Biggs could no longer stand, and had to lean on the railing for support, as he then bravely opened fire with his shotgun once again.

Four more unsuspecting soldiers fell dead to the ground in another spray of small but deadly pellets. The rest took cover once again, surprised by the resistance that this wounded rebel still insisted on giving them. Rude was impressed, and respected this rebel's brave acts, but pulled the trigger and fired again.

The third bullet directly struck Biggs in his right arm this time, the same arm that was holding the shotgun, and at once, the weapon flew away from Biggs' grasp, and over the railing of the stairs, falling and landing on the ground about ten feet away from where Biggs leaned heavily against the railing, blood now pouring from his wounded arm as well, hanging limply at his side as he leaned over the railing for support, gasping painfully in his agony, and starting to feel cold and drained now, the fight had completely been taken out of him.

"(So…this is it then…this is how it ends. Fighting to save a whole Sector…against the very empire that's slowly destroying the Planet…so I really am going to die after all…but at least I put up a good fight against them like I promised myself…the others will take it from here now…AVALANCHE will succeed, even without me, I know. Never quite imagined myself going like this…so many things happened that I never expected to…heh, looks like Cloud never showed up to help…maybe he really doesn't care about us or the Planet after all…maybe there is no hope after all…)" thought Biggs, as he leaned over the railing for support, his blood spreading from his wounds, and he was steadily but surely dying, just like the very Planet that he had given his life to fight for.

Biggs looked around at where the soldiers all were, and he finally turned and looked into the eyes of his killer, which were completely hidden behind dark sunglasses like they always had been. Biggs recognized him as Rude of the Turks, and knew it was him that had shot him like this. At least that was some small comfort, being killed by one of Shinra's strongest.

Rude turned away from the scene of the dying terrorist, and he found that he felt no triumph at all, only a rather solemn and empty feeling in the pit of his stomach that unnerved him slightly, but he turned to face the Shinra soldier troops, showing none of his emotion to them, as Trolpier, new commander of the troops, saluted to him.

"Sir, that was most a most amazing display, sir! The troops all hold you in the highest honour; it is no wonder you are of the Turks, sir! It is a great victory we have earned here against this rebel scum. Now we can go up those stairs and storm the Pillar to deal with the rest of the terrorists once and for all. And we will finish off this scumbag who rebelled against us," said Trolpier, triumphantly. Rude looked for a long moment at Biggs as he hung dying over the railing of the stairs, then he finally looked back at Trolpier and shook his head.

"No, just leave him be. There's no point finishing him off now, he's already done for, give him time to die in his own peace. And I'm now ordering both you and your whole troops not to go storm the stairs of the Pillar. Evacuate this Sector at once, and never come back here, all your parts in this mission are now over," said Rude, sternly. Trolpier gaped at him.

"B-But…but sir…!" protested Trolpier, stammering, not believing what he had just heard. Rude turned to glare at the new commander, who gulped nervously at the look.

"Are you questioning my orders, Trolpier? No…? Good, then get out of here at once, and do not come back. If you don't obey this command, I will have you all reported to Shinra, and you most certainly will not want that, I promise you. And besides, we need at least some of the rebels alive when we destroy the place, just to show that there was some purpose and need for the destruction of this Sector. Now go at once!" barked Rude, sharply.

Trolpier jumped and nervously saluted in response, before ordering his remaining troops to flee Sector 7, and soon they all did so, as Rude watched them rushing out the entrance gate, and they were soon all out of sight.

Rude looked up at the top of the Pillar, seeing that Reno was still attacking the other three rebels in the helicopter, and knew that Elena was with him as well. The rebels seemed to be still alive, but wouldn't be for much longer at this rate, and Reno would leap from the helicopter and set the bomb.

"(Soon the plan will be fully complete, and AVALANCHE will be no more. Sector 7 will be destroyed; both the upper and lower city, and the rebels will all be killed once and for all, ending all resistance against Shinra. I may as well leave now, I'll no longer be needed here, I've done my job now just as I will always do, no matter what the consequences. But still…despite that, this just doesn't feel right…)" thought Rude, disturbed by these thoughts, but quickly shook them off, and with another look back at the Pillar, he run towards the front gate of Sector 7, quickly leaving and fleeing the Sector.

Barret, Jessie and Wedge hid behind the pole of the Pillar at the very top of it on the large platform with the system controls, keeping the helicopter at the opposite side of the pole to them as it circled around the platform (which was ruined slightly from the gunfire earlier) trying to get at them.

But at that moment, Jessie turned to look over the edge of the platform of the Pillar, and saw with immense horror and alarm that, far below them at the bottom, Biggs had been shot as he now leaned over the metal railing of the stairs for support, looking in a very bad way indeed.

"BIGGS, NO!" screamed Jessie, frantically, and forgetting the plight she was currently in, with the fear and frantic worry that had surfaced intensely within her, she leapt out from behind the pole, and rushed over to the stairs of the Pillar to go down, just at the same moment the helicopter hovered nearby it, the open side door facing Jessie's direction.

"JESSIE, STOP! DON'T DO IT!" roared Barret, his eyes wide with alarm and horror as he and Wedge saw Jessie rush towards the stairs, not noticing a figure had stepped onto the side platform of the helicopter, a female Turk with blond hair who was looking at Jessie, and seemed ready to leap at her.

At Barret's frantic warning, Jessie suddenly noticed that the helicopter was beside her, but before she could do anything to move aside, the blond haired female Turk had already leaped from the helicopter straight at her.

Barret could only watch in horror, as Jessie was struck hard in the face with a loud and nasty thud as the female Turk kicked her hard with her foot in mid air before she landed on the platform. Her face bruised and bleeding from the sudden kick to it, Jessie let out a cry of surprise and fear as the hit caused her to lose balance on the edge of the stairs, and she tripped and fell off the edge of it, falling backwards, and then tumbling hard down the stairs with a loud thud each time she did so, and she found herself flung off the edge of the stairs at the top, where the ground would meet her far below…

But at the last moment, Jessie grabbed the very edge of the stairs with her hand, and with tremendous effort and fear, she managed to pull herself back up onto the stairs, and stood on it, panting heavily, her heart pounding in fear at what had almost happened. She winced in clear pain, as her body ached all over from the hard tumble down the stairs, and blood ran down her face at where the female Turk had struck her.

Back up on the platform, Wedge quickly raised his silencer pistol gun and fired it right at the female Turk who stood before the stairs, but the Turk quickly rushed down the stairs, and the bullet struck the railing of the stairs instead, just an inch away from hitting the female Turk.

Wedge cursed to himself in sheer frustration, and he knew that this mysterious female Turk, who appeared to be a new recruit of theirs, was going down the stairs after Jessie, who would soon be in grave danger.

But before Wedge or Barret could do anything about it at all, the helicopter suddenly opened fire on them again, and they had to scramble out the way, and with the helicopter keeping the two of them at bay, there was no way they could go down the stairs to help Jessie.

Jessie stood up on the stairs, as her attacker rushed down them, and stopped just before her. The two of them glared at each other, ready to fight each other at any moment's notice, their weapons each armed and at the ready, and both warriors knew that this would be a battle to the death.

"And just who are you supposed to be? I've hacked into the Shinra Internet itself, and analysed and researched on all of Shinra's data files, even on the Turks as well. And there was nothing in those files about there being a female Turk in the ranks," said Jessie, suspiciously, alert and ready for any sort of attack from this enemy. The female Turk glared at her.

"That's because I'm a new recruit, I got promoted to the ranks of the Turks just two days ago, and already I'm on a very important assignment for Shinra Incorporated, by helping them destroy you terrorist scum once and for all. And believe me, I have every intention of helping to fulfil that mission. My name's Elena, by the way. Just make sure remember it on your way to hell," said Elena, with a snarl.

Elena wore a posh dark blue navy suit (a Turk uniform), which was neat and tidy, not a bit out of place, and she had blond hair and brown eyes, and she seemed to be in her early twenties or so, meaning she was fairly attractive. She worked for Shinra, just like the other Turks.

Elena had just recently joined the Turks, and she was now working with Rude, Tseng and Reno. She had a special talent of throwing any type of grenade or bomb flawlessly, with amazing accuracy, so she never missed her target when throwing a grenade or a bomb.

"On my well to hell? You're wrong about that, you know, neither me nor my friends are the ones at fault here; it's your damn corrupted Shinra Incorporated empire who are the villains and devils around here! They're the ones sucking the Planet dry just for their own selfish desires, and they're the ones trying to kill all the people in this Sector! All me and my friends are trying to do is to stop their evil acts!" snapped Jessie.

"Oh yeah, is that so!? Then what about the Mako Reactor N0.1's explosion in Sector 8 that you terrorist scumbags caused intentionally, knowing the full consequences of what would happen there!? What about all of the innocent citizens, all the people who lived in the city, all the people that had nothing to do with Shinra's actions at all!? Did you bastards make any move to spare the people there who wanted nothing more than a peaceful life!? Did you even stop to think about them, or were your selfish desires against Shinra so important, that you would just heartlessly take all their LIVES away!? My whole FAMILY was in that city when you evil bastards blew up that Reactor, and now they're all dead along with everyone else, and it's all because of you AVALANCHE SCUM!! So don't think that Shinra are the only villains here because you're all no better than they are!!" shrieked Elena, angry tears reflecting in her eyes.

Jessie stopped short, her eyes wide and horrified as she listened to the female Turk and the full meaning of her words, and when she had finished, Jessie took a few steps back from Elena in complete shock and shame, tears spilling forth from her eyes as she knew that Elena was absolutely right. With a big effort, she finally spoke back to Elena, in a tone of immense sorrow this time, as she hung her head in shame.

"You're right…you're absolutely right that we destroyed the Reactor, killing all those people in the process, and we knew the consequences of our own actions. But you've got to try and understand that we never meant it to happen, we never felt any desire to kill those people, there was just no other way around it. I know that's no excuse for what we did, but we were never proud of it afterwards, and we still regret what we did to this day. And that's a promise," said Jessie, firmly, remorseful. Elena stared at her for a moment, before shaking her head.

"I don't believe you, I can't trust anything that any of you murderers say. All I know is, your group is responsible for the deaths of my family. I joined up with the Turks afterwards even for life if need be, to get my revenge against you!" said Elena.

Without warning, Elena suddenly struck. She swung her hand out, and slapped Jessie hard across the face with immense force, knocking Jessie backwards down the stairs a little, before she stopped and stood still again. Her cheek was now bruised and even bleeding as the burning pain from it flared, but Jessie still shook her head.

"I don't want to do this. Even if you are a Turk, even if you do work for Shinra, I still really have no desire at all to fight and kill you. After hearing from you what suffering my own actions have caused to you and others, I don't want to hurt you; I feel that I have done that enough already. You can try to kill me if you wish, but I will not fight you," said Jessie, firmly.

"I went through all the effort of joining up with the Turks before other candidates just so that I could one day find at least one member of AVALANCHE, and kill that person when I did, then I would be satisfied that I had gained vengeance. Despite what Shinra does to the Planet, and will do to this Sector, I will still serve them faithfully for giving me the chance to get even with you rebels. And I will continue to do so, even after I kill you now and gain my revenge, and even after this whole Sector is crushed, and your resistance group is no more!" screeched Elena, as she seemed to erupt with fury.

Suddenly, Elena took Jessie by surprise as she slapped her hand across the face again, and then did the same thing with her other hand as well, across Jessie's other cheek. Jessie found herself being slapped hard and repeatedly by the female Turk, and felt her face being pounded and bruised heavily from the attacks, blood flowing and pain flaring up.

Finally, as she was struck by this fierce and extremely painful onslaught of hard constant slaps, Jessie lost her temper and snapped, as her own hand swung out and slapped Elena hard across her face. Elena staggered backwards, but Jessie wasted no time, and thumped her right in the nose, and there was a crack as it broke. Elena screamed in pain, before Jessie slammed a fist into her stomach, forcing her to the stairs.

As Elena lay on the stairs, her face aching, her now broken nose bleeding, and her stomach feeling winded and pounded from the blow, Elena gasped in pain and terror as Jessie then whipped out the last dagger she had now, and brought it right down to Elena's throat, holding the blade right above her very skin as Elena tensed and remained very still and scared.

But just as she prepared to deliver the final blow to the female Turk, Jessie suddenly hesitated, and the dagger still remained just above Elena's throat, unmoving. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that it would be for the best for her sake now if she just killed Elena, Jessie still just couldn't bring herself to strike down the Turk that she and the others had already caused so much pain to.

"(I…I can't do it…I just can't bring myself to do it. She's only fighting for her loved ones that she's lost, just as me or any other person would. I've done so many terrible things with the others…but if I struck Elena down now, then I truly would be no better than Shinra, and I never want to be like that at all, no matter what…)" thought Jessie, as Elena then spoke.

"What's wrong? Why don't you just kill me now? Why not just kill me off for your own selfish sake, just like you and your friends all did to my family at the Sector 8 upper city?" asked Elena, angrily, though there was a tone of fear in her voice as she remained absolutely still, the dagger over her throat.

"Because me and the others are honestly all much better people than to reduce ourselves to such a low level like that, that's why. Because no matter how you want to look at it, we're all better people than Shinra could ever hope to become, and that's why I'm not going to sink to their level," said Jessie, firmly, as she lifted her dagger up, and put it away.

But at the very moment Jessie had moved the dagger away, Elena had quickly sprang right up to her feet in a flash, and as she stood back firmly on the stairs, she shoved Jessie backwards hard, who hadn't been expecting it at all, and she let out a cry of surprise and alarm as she felt herself falling.

Wasting no time, Elena reached into her suit pocket, and pulled out a previously hidden and unseen object from it. It was a grenade, and as Jessie began to fall backwards down the stairs, Elena pulled the pin from the grenade, and flung it right in Jessie's direction. As Jessie tumbled painfully down the stairs, the grenade flew into mid-air, and as it came falling down right towards her, it suddenly exploded no less than five feet right above her.

The result of this attack was immensely horrifying, and had very nasty results. Jessie's body slammed faster down the stairs now, propelled by the force of the explosion that had happened right above her. She rolled down the stairs violently several times, somehow not falling off the edge, before she finally came to a stop near the mid-way point of the staircase. Finding herself horrified and stunned at what she had just done, Elena rushed down the stairs, and stood over Jessie, her eyes wide in immense terror as she saw the state she was in.

"(Oh my god, oh my god. What the hell have I done, why did I just do this to her when she spared me…? I never wanted it to be like this at all…not like this,)" thought Elena, horrified as the stared down at Jessie's ruined body.

Her torso now looked completely torn and ragged, her back seemed to have split open, leaving a pool of blood flowing around her, her arms both hung limply at her sides on the stairs, and her legs looked like they were close to being torn completely off.

Her head was the only part of her that had been untouched by the grenade explosion, as she suddenly moved her head slightly, raising it up a few inches to look in Elena's direction, she didn't have the strength to move any further, or move anything besides her head.

And as Elena stared in horror at the dying terrorist, at the ruined form of the once intelligent, bright, lively and pretty girl that she had fought no more than two minutes ago, Jessie then spoke slowly, in a very weak and barely audible tone of voice.

"Are you satisfied now…? Is this what you wanted…?" whispered Jessie, slowly, tears pouring from her eyes, as she knew she was likely to die at any moment, feeling so drained already that the pain was quickly leaving. Elena shook her head wildly, tears pouring from her eyes as well.

"Why didn't you kill me back there? Why didn't you finish me off when you had the chance? You could have still been alive, you wouldn't have ended up like this!" screamed Elena, in a rather shrill voice, as her tears spread.

"I already told you why…because AVALANCHE aren't like Shinra at all…because unlike them, we all have hearts, and right now we're fighting to save people…something that Shinra never even think about…none of us would ever sink so low as to commit horrible acts for our own benefits and enjoy it like Shinra do…we all feel shame of our actions…and because of my part in it all…I will…accept death here and now…as punishment for my deeds…but please…leave here at once before this place gets destroyed…don't die needlessly for Shinra…just leave here at once…please…" whispered Jessie.

Her brown eyes wide with horror and terror at the scene she unexpectedly found herself in, that she herself had committed, Elena obeyed Jessie's words at once, and at that moment, she fled down the rest of the stairs of the Pillar as fast as she could, never once stopping or looking back as tears spread forth from her eyes.

Feeling disgusted with herself and sick at what she'd witnessed, Elena stopped towards the bottom of the stairs, and leaned over the metal railing at once. Unable to stop herself, she gagged and vomited over the side. As soon as she had regained herself again, she ran off the stairs and then quickly ran through the gate and fled Sector 7, running as far away from it as she could and never looking back, though she knew that she would never be able to run from the nightmares that this experience would cause her to have…

Meanwhile, at the very moment when all of the terrible events over at the Sector 7 Pillar were happening, Cloud, Tifa and Aeris were still continuing to walk through the Train Graveyard, unaware of it all, trying to get past the wrecked trains, and were journeying to Sector 7 as fast as they could, as they each ran past the ruined trains, climbed up and over some that were blocking their way, and then went back down them again on the other side, and continued on.

Some flaming barrels of oil were still strewn about the Train Graveyard, long forgotten, giving light to the whole place whenever the train lights had gone out, before they would flicker back on again. The bright fires cast shadows of broken steel across the tarnished sides of the other ruined trains that lay around the whole area. Rats scurried from corner to corner, knocking over debris of the trains.

If one were to take a peek in the window of one of the ruined trains, they would see that the inside of the train cars were surprisingly well preserved despite the outer appearance of the train. An old dining car led the way from one part of the Train Graveyard to the next, and the inside looked much better than the sad, dismal outside.

The plush red leather seats were covered with dust and were torn in a few places, but were otherwise still in good condition. The menu had been shattered by what looked like bullets, and so had the mirror beneath it. Old soda jerks and beer taps had been broken in half, their shining ivory heads lying on the floor like useless garbage. These trains would have all once been in regular use, and would have proudly run along the tracks. Now they were broken beyond repair.

"(It's all useless now…everything in this whole place has gone to so much waste because of Shinra…and Sector 7 might suffer the very same fate…)" thought Tifa, sadly.

Tifa began to wonder what the last days of this dining car were, what the people were like, and maybe what they had discussed. Back then; Shinra Incorporated had been a mere weapons company in Midgar, not a Mako industry that now took control of the whole Planet itself. People probably sat here during lunch and picked up the newspaper, flipping through it and grumbling about the sad state of affairs in Wutai.

The sudden deadly and extremely fierce war between Shinra Incorporated and the once great nation of Wutai had taken a terrible toll on everybody, especially Wutai. They had lost to Shinra Incorporated, and with it their freedom and the pride and glory of their nation, since the whole place is now only a tourist attraction.

And it was all thanks to Sephiroth that Wutai had lost, and Shinra had won…because of the victory of Sephiroth himself. Tifa shuddered fearfully at the mere mention of Sephiroth's name in her thoughts, and didn't dwell on it any longer, not wanting to remember certain things in her past.

Cloud, Tifa and Aeris quickly climbed past all the trains in urgent silence, as they got up the ladders and past all the other obstacles that stood in their way, and finally at long last, they came to the Sector 7 train station that stood right next to the Slums of Sector 7, and the Pillar that stood in the middle of it. A man was standing by the train, a man who worked in there judging by the look of the uniform he wore. Cloud, Tifa and Aeris rushed over to him at once.

"Please, tell me, what's going on here? What's happening in the Sector 7 Slums, is the Pillar alright at the moment?" asked Tifa, urgently, asking her questions in a frantic rush. The train worker nodded, looking solemn.

"Yes, but Shinra's attacking. There's some guys defending it…but I heard that the Plate was going to fall, crushing the Sector and this station too. I've worked here so many years, and I can't bear to leave here. If there was time, I'd escape, but this station is my life, please save it," said the train worker.

"What are you saying? You're willing to just give up your life for your job, for your workplace? You should just leave here right now, you'll get yourself killed!" said Aeris, looking clearly concerned. The train worker smiled humourlessly.

"Thank you for the concern, miss, but like I said, I've worked in this station for as long as I can remember, it's like home to me, and people here in the Slums still love their homes no matter how bad it all gets. If this station goes, then I go with it too, for it's my life, and I just have no other purpose without it. I know it sounds strange, but…" began the train worker, but at that moment, Cloud interrupted.

"But you're staying here because life is a lot like a train. It can only go where it's rails will take it, and nowhere else," said Cloud, thoughtfully, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. The train worked grinned and nodded, clapping his hands together, and both Aeris and Tifa looked at Cloud in surprise.

"Yes, that is it exactly! Thank you, my wise young friend, now you go off and defend that Pillar from Shinra with the rest of your AVALANCHE friends. I've seen your description on the Shinra news, and I know you people are fighting for the right cause here, so don't give up! Save this Sector and defy Shinra once and for all!" declared the train worker.

Cloud nodded and smirked, glad that he had found one person from the public that supported AVALANCHE at the very least, that was some small comfort in this drastic situation that they were in, knowing they weren't entirely hated by all. Then without another word, Cloud rushed forwards in the direction of the Sector 7 Slums and the Pillar, and Aeris and Tifa quickly followed him, while the train worker waved after them. Tifa glanced back at saw this, and felt some comfort among all the fear and anxiety that coursed through her.

"(Goodness, that was rather odd back there…what a strange man. But we promised him that we'd save Sector 7, and we owe it to both him and everyone else here to carry out that task, we'll do it no matter what,)" thought Tifa, determinedly.

Cloud, Tifa and Aeris quickly ran along side each other, rushing towards Sector 7, nodding pointedly to themselves as they all knew what they had to do, and they raced to Sector 7, hoping and praying that Barret, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie could hold off Shinra Incorporated for a while longer, and that they were perfectly alright in the process, even though it seemed like an impossible dream, as they came closer and closer…

Barret Wallace cursed and scrambled back behind the pole of the Pillar at the top platform again, as the helicopter whirled around in their direction, threatening to shoot them down full of several pellets. Wedge was crouched down beside Barret, also hiding away from the helicopter.

Both of them had to run back to the other side of the Pillar as the helicopter flown around to their direction again, and then the same thing would happen once again to make them go in the other direction. As Barret and Wedge were crouched down behind the Pillar, gasping and panting heavily for breath, Wedge suddenly stood up.

"Okay, that does it, I've had enough of all this! This is just getting us nowhere at all! Shinra plan to blow up this whole Pillar and bring down the Plate to crush and destroy the entire Sector, and while Jessie and Biggs are fighting bravely in this Pillar somewhere, all we're doing is running from the enemy like cowardly rats, and I'm TIRED of it!!" shouted Wedge, angrily.

"Wedge, you damn idiot, what the HELL do you think you're doing!? Get down at once, we gotta wait until Tifa and Cloud come here to help us, until then we've gotta avoid getting killed by these bastards hunting us here. Now stay back here, or you're gonna get hurt!" hissed Barret, sharply, frantically gesturing for Wedge to get down. But Wedge didn't move at all, and with a heavy sigh, Wedge then spoke up.

"Throughout all the months that I've been in your proud service, Barret, I've always worked for you faithfully, and I always followed every single one of your orders too, even to the death if need be. Back then I was always scared, I was always terrified out of my wits, but these last few days have shown me that no matter what happens, I really have played my part for the Planet, however small, and it won't be forgotten. And when I think back on that, I'm suddenly not afraid anymore and that includes now too. So I'm sorry about this, Boss, but for the very first time, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disobey your orders now, and for the last time too. I'm taking down that copter now, or else it will eventually just shoot us down, and that Turk will place the bomb. I'm not letting that happen," said Wedge.

"No, Wedge, DON'T!!" screamed Barret, as he suddenly realized what Wedge was planning to do. He sprang to his feet at once as he went to restrain his loyal friend, but he was now already too late. Wedge had leaped out from behind the pole of the Pillar, his shotgun in one hand, and his silencer pistol in the other. The helicopter turned around, and face Wedge, hovering before him, as Wedge suddenly shouted out.

"Think well of me, Barret!!" called Wedge, as he sprang forwards in the direction of the helicopter. The flying machine fired its spray of pellets at him at once, but Wedge quickly rolled across the platform and out of the way, in surprising grace for someone so far and overweight.

Immediately he sprang back up, and facing the side of the copter, he fired both his guns at once, right at the weak point of the flying machine. His pellets and bullets all struck the fuel tank of the copter that he had aimed it at, and at once, several holes had been made in the tank, and fuel slowly spread from them at once. The copter swayed noticeably while hovering, the pilot was now struggling to keep it up as it began to lose fuel, and soon it would crash. Reno of the Turks stepped out of the struggling copter, his face a mask of fury, as he aimed his fully charged up Nightstick right at Wedge.

"You're DARING to mess with Shinra and the Turks like this, huh, fat boy!? Well, being fat, I guess you like to taste things, so what don't you have of little taste of THIS!!" yelled Reno, as the tip of his Nightstick suddenly glow brightly, and a small red meteor of energy appeared at it. The Turk Light.

Wedge immediately leapt to the side, out of the way of the Nightstick's aimed direction, but unfortunately for him though, Reno had already been anticipating that he would do this, and jerked his aim to the side at Wedge now was, before he then instantly fired the small red meteor of energy straight at him.

"NO, WEDGE!!" screamed Barret, and could only watch in horror, as the Turk Light slammed not into Wedge, but it struck the part of the platform right in front of where he had been standing. There was a huge explosion of red light had filled the whole top of the Pillar, and Wedge suddenly found himself flung backwards by the force of the attack, causing him to fly right over the edge of the platform itself.

Wedge let out a cry of surprise and fear as he now found himself with no floor below him, found himself in mid-air twenty feet away from the edge of the platform, and the ground was a whole fifty metres far below him. Then at once, unable to do anything about it, his body plummeted to the ground far below him, which he knew would kill him on impact.

"NO!!!! BASTARDS!!!!" screamed Barret, as he sprang out from the pole of the Pillar too, and relentlessly, he opened fire on the Shinra helicopter, not caring anymore, not caring about anything else expect blowing the thing to bits, as his gun-arm fired several shots of bullets after bullets.

The bullets all struck the helicopter in several places, but the machine still flew around, and quickly rushed out of the way of his line of fire. Suddenly, the last bit of fuel had quickly poured out of it due to Wedge shooting holes all over the fuel tank, and the copter wavered for a moment, before it stopped entirely and fell. Barret looked over the platform edge to see Reno leap out the falling copter to safety with a parachute.

Barret cursed as Reno went safely out of sight and danger, while the helicopter fell with a loud crash to the ground far below, at the opposite end of the Pillar to where Wedge had fallen. The copter exploded at once, killing the abandoned pilot inside of it with a huge ball of light and fire that spread up for a moment, before quickly dying down, as the ruined helicopter burned with flames all around it.

But Barret knew that Reno was still alive and safe due to his parachute, and was probably already on his way back up to the top of the Pillar with the bomb itself in his grasp, since Barret had seen him with it, and the leader of AVALANCHE prepared himself for the Turk, ready to end this whole situation once and for all.

But moments before all this, just after he'd began to fall, Wedge gritted his teeth and absolutely refused to scream as he began to fall the fifty metres to the ground and his instant death, he would not shame himself by acting like the coward he had once been, and was so ashamed of, long ago.

"(I'm going to die after all…but if I had known all this and had the choice given to me right now, if I would fight for the Planet, I still would do so, I would still follow the same course to help protect its survival. Because I'm no unimportant sidekick anymore…)" thought Wedge, as he braced himself for the impact with the ground that would claim his life instantly as he fell closer and closer towards his death.

But unknown to him and everyone else however, at that very same moment as he fell, a light of sudden hope for the whole situation had just arrived and surfaced in the Slums of Sector 7, a hope that the rest of AVALANCHE had long been since expecting. Cloud, Tifa and Aeris had all come and arrived at the Sector 7 Pillar at last, and they were ready to fight and save all of Sector 7 now from Shinra, once and for all…


	22. Sector 7 Pillar: Final Outcome Of The Pi...

**_Chapter 22_** **_The Final Outcome Of The Pillar_**

When Cloud, Tifa and Aeris had all finally got there and reached the Slums of Sector 7 at long last, they saw at once that all of Sector 7 was currently alright, and still in perfectly good condition, and the great Pillar itself was still standing proud and tall. It was a massive fifty metres high, and it had a very long staircase that led up to the very top platform of the Pillar itself, the stairs spiralling around the whole thing to reach the very top of it. As soon as they saw that the Pillar itself was still fully intact, Tifa cheered excitedly at once.

"Yes, we did it! We made it, we've actually made it here in time to save the Sector after all! The Pillar's still standing, and Shinra haven't destroyed it at all! We can still save it and the people here," said Tifa, triumphantly, with a big grin, sighing in relief, pleasantly surprised that they weren't too late.

But the relief they all felt at seeing the Pillar was soon to be very short-lived, as Cloud's eyes widened in alarm as he now heard something that seemed to be coming from the top of the Pillar, and he didn't like what he thought he could hear from there. He stepped forwards slightly in the direction of the Pillar, and looked up at the very top of it, where he could still hear the sound coming from there.

"Wait a minute, Tifa, it doesn't look like this is the time to celebrate our arrival just yet! Listen carefully for a moment, and look up at the very top of the Pillar. Do either of you two hear something that seems to be coming from above us, up there?" asked Cloud, suddenly, pointing to the top of the pillar. Both Tifa and Aeris listened carefully too, looking in the direction that Cloud indicated. The sound was getting even louder.

"Is that sound…gunfire?" asked Aeris, feeling uneasy now.

Aeris was absolutely right about this, it was gunfire, and that was indeed what Cloud had suspected from the beginning since hearing it. Loud and explosive sounds of gunfire, ceaseless and highly frantic by the sound of it, could now be easily heard from the very top of the Pillar itself now.

"Yes, that was my first thought about this, Aeris, and it's coming from all the way up there, at the very top of the Pillar itself. And where there's the sound of gunfire around, there's likely to be Barret there too. And if he's firing so desperately like this, then that must mean he's in very big trouble," said Cloud, grimly. Looking more closely at what was happening at the top of the Pillar, Tifa suddenly gasped in surprise.

"Wait a minute, that's not Barret who's firing all those shots of gunfire, it's Wedge! He's trying to shoot down a Shinra helicopter that's hovering around the top platform!" shouted Tifa, alarmed and horrified as she watched was happening at the top of the Pillar.

"What!?" shouted Cloud, in shock and disbelief, before he too quickly looked up in the direction of the top of the Pillar, focusing intently on what was going on up there, as were both Tifa and Aeris, and now they saw what was happening.

The sound of gunfire suddenly ceased abruptly, as all the shots stopped at that moment. Watching, Cloud saw that it was indeed Wedge, and he seemed to have just attacked a Shinra helicopter that was hovering nearby, and all the bullets he had fired must surely have hit it, as Wedge stood triumphantly.

But at the moment, they saw a small circle of red light coming from the side of the helicopter (what exactly it was, they couldn't see it clearly enough), and Wedge at once was trying to roll out of the way, but suddenly the circle of red light flew right at him and struck the platform he was at. There was a massive explosion of red light that filled the whole top platform of the Pillar itself, lighting up the entire area, before it faded away, and Wedge had clearly been sent flying backwards away from the platform, and began to fall to the ground at once.

"NO!!!!" screamed Tifa, in frantic concern and fear, as she saw Wedge begin to fall from the top of the Pillar itself, and began a fifty-metre drop to the ground below, which would no doubt be to his death. Cloud too was immensely horrified and alarmed at seeing Wedge start to fall, and both he and Tifa rushed forwards at once to where Wedge was going to fall.

They both heard loud screams and more sudden gunshots from the top of the Pillar as Wedge began to fall, and Cloud knew that both were from Barret, but he and Tifa gave it no notice, concentrating only on a way they might save Wedge from his grisly fate, as he fell further towards the ground…and then suddenly stopped in mid-air.

"What the hell…?" gasped Cloud, not believing what he was seeing, as he watched Wedge's unmoving body in mid-air, and Tifa was also gaping in shock. A sudden suspicion filled Cloud's mind, and he spun around to look at Aeris, who hadn't moved. His eyes suddenly widened.

Aeris stood rigid on the spot, her arms outstretched in Wedge's direction and her hands tightly clenched, her eyes closed, and she was praying to herself in that same strange language Cloud didn't understand. Purple energy had suddenly surrounded Wedge's body, before vanishing in a flash of light, and he was motionless in mid-air.

Suddenly, Cloud remembered back to when they had both escaped from Reno in the church, and quickly realized what was happening. Having previously seen her use it on Reno to stop him from attacking, she was now somehow using her sealing technique again, though time she was using it on Wedge now, and this time, it was to try and save his life.

Cloud and Tifa both stood and stared at the mysterious flower girl, as Aeris prayed urgently, and concentrated much harder. Wedge's body suddenly started to move, as it moved down again, but this time slowly and steadily. Cloud watched as Wedge slowly moved downwards in a safe pace, he was only forty meters above them now.

Completely amazed by what was happening, Cloud walked over to Aeris, staring at her in astonishment. He had always known, ever since meeting her, that there had been strange facts about Aeris all the time, and very bizarre things that she seemed able to do. Despite all that though, she still never failed to shock him by what she was capable of. After this was over, he would definitely find out how and why she could do all this…if they were all still alive by then.

"Wow, Aeris, I really…" began Cloud, but he then stopped abruptly as he suddenly noticed something. A large amount of sweat seemed to spread from Aeris, and she was clearly very strained and hurt, as she suddenly sank to her knees in pain, but still focused on getting Wedge down slowly. Wedge was now thirty meters above the ground and still going steadily down, but Aeris seemed in serious pain at the effort, as she suddenly screamed in agony while still concentrating.

"Aeris, stop it! You're putting your whole self under severe strain by doing this, I can see it! Stop it right now!" shouted Cloud, urgently, but Aeris slowly shook her head, her eyes still tightly shut, and she was wincing and moaning in pain.

"No…I…can't stop now…Cloud. It's the only…way to…save his life…I have to…do it," said Aeris, with clear pain in her voice, but she still concentrated hard, as Wedge's body slowly lowered to twenty-five meters above the ground.

But a hideous thought had occurred to Cloud. If Aeris carried on like this, then Wedge would indeed be saved, but if she strained herself to pull this off, then the severe effort it would take was going to kill her instead, in the process. Cloud knew that Aeris would refuse to stop herself, so Cloud would have to instead, but he would be condemning Wedge to his death. Tifa seemed to have figured out the same thing.

"Come on, Cloud! You have to do something, you've got to decide right away!" shouted Tifa, frantically, and Cloud realized that he had suddenly been forced to make a terrible choice…to make either Aeris or Wedge die, and only one could survive.

Stricken, Cloud looked up from Wedge, and down at Aeris, and then glanced back at Wedge, before looking back down at Aeris again, trying frantically to decide what was for the best, hating the fact he had to make this choice. But as Wedge's body slowly lowered down at a safe pace, and as Aeris was straining herself to death, Cloud knew what choice he wanted to do, and there was no longer any doubt in his mind.

"God forgive me…" muttered Cloud, solemnly, before he then suddenly reached out, and pulled Aeris' hands apart at once, effectively ending the sealing spell that she had been using, as she then stopped praying. Aeris' beautiful green eyes flared wide open as she stared at Cloud, realizing what he had done, and they spun around to look upwards.

Gravity had abruptly resumed it's purpose again, as Wedge suddenly dropped at the normal pace he had started at. He was now falling twenty meters to the ground, which was much lower than from the top, but the fall was still going to have severe and fatal results, as Wedge quickly fell and struck the ground hard with a loud, nasty thud that echoed around the area. There was a loud and hideous snapping and cracking sounds from his body at the impact, and he lay motionless. Meanwhile, the helicopter had just fallen and exploded in a ball of fire on impact with the ground at the other side of the Pillar.

At once, Cloud, Tifa and Aeris all rushed over as fast as they could to where Wedge lay still and sprawled down on the ground, and they stood over him in horror and anxiety. His back and spine appeared to be completely smashed and shattered by the impact, and both his arms and legs were clearly broken and smashed. Blood stared to spread slowly from Wedge's body, beginning to form its own crimson red pool around him.

"WEDGE!! Are you alright, can you still hear me!? Wedge, come on, answer me if you can, please!" shouted Cloud, clearly very frantic and concerned, as he kneeled at his side and checked Wedge's pulse, and felt a very weak one indeed, but it meant that Wedge was still alive…at least for now.

Wedge then slowly opened his eyes and looked up slightly at Cloud in surprise and smiled kindly, although it made him wince with terrible pain, and caused him to cough out some of his own blood. Then Wedge spoke slowly and wearily, his voice quiet and barely audible.

"Cloud…you came over here to help us after all…and you remembered…my name too…now listen to me, Barret's alone at the top of the Pillar…please go there now, and…help him…And Cloud…I'm sorry that I wasn't…any real help here…Don't bother worrying about me…I'm not going…to make it through this…Go help Jessie…She's up there too…Go help her and Barret…" said Wedge, quietly, and then he slowly looked over at Tifa, who had tears in her eyes as she looked back at him.

"Tifa…I'm glad that I could…say one last goodbye to you now…you should know…that your food was always the best that I ever had…and I'm grateful for it…it was some of the most enjoyable moments I had being in the bar…with you and the others…when you're up there on the top of the Pillar, just make sure…that you stay alive…just make a better job of surviving here than I did…" said Wedge, slowly, with a slight smile.

"I will, Wedge. I will…and I'm honoured to have let you come into my bar all those times, and glad that you enjoyed my own food so much. Whenever you said it, I always thought of it as a really big compliment. So thanks for all the confidence you gave me back then," said Tifa, tearfully. Wedge grinned a little, then the grin vanished and Wedge's eyes slowly closed, as he soon passed out.

Cloud stood back up onto his feet, and stared down at Wedge for a long moment, knowing that there was nothing he could have really done to prevent this from happening, though he couldn't help but feel guilty about it all the same, and he was fiercely determined and focused on carry out Wedge's final request. Finally withdrawing his gaze from Wedge's motionless and broken body, Cloud turned to face Tifa and Aeris, who both saw fiery resolve in his eyes.

"I'm getting up those stairs to the top of the Pillar right now, and I'm going to help Barret protect it from Shinra as Wedge wound have wanted! Tifa, you come with me, I'll need your help up there. Aeris, you stay here and look after Wedge, you're still too drained to fight along with us now. Try and heal Wedge if he wakes back up, but if it's not possible, then…just keep him company before he goes," said Cloud, sternly.

Aeris nodded to him slowly in response, her head bowed in sorrow for a moment, looking both sad and grim for once, as well as feeling tried from all the effort she had given earlier. Tifa turned to face Aeris, looking rather anxious as a sudden thought occurred to her, and she spoke urgently.

"Aeris, after you've done all you could here, I'd like you to please do an important favour for me. I have a bar called the Seventh Heaven in the Slums. Inside, there should be a little girl named Marlene hiding, while this is all going on. She's Barret's daughter, and he would have told her to stay in the bar to keep safe from the danger," explained Tifa, clearly worried.

"Don't worry about it, Tifa, I do understand what you're asking of me here. I'll go to your bar, find her there, ask her to come with me, and then I'll leave this Sector with her, and lead her somewhere else where she can be safe, in case Sector 7 does get crushed," replied Aeris, understanding.

Tifa nodded gratefully at her in response, now thoroughly relieved to have that task taken care of, then she turned towards the panicked citizens, who were now all out of their houses, noticing all the commotion that was going on, and they were all either staring up at the Pillar, or were running about the place in a panic. Tifa shouted out to them.

"Everyone, just listen to me for a moment! Please, it's a matter of great urgency that you all must get away from here at once, right now! Get out of the Sector 7 area quickly, before it's too late! Flee for your lives in case the Plate might fall down and crush this whole place!" shouted Tifa, frantically.

But the citizens of the Sector 7 Slums didn't move from their place at all, and they just stood and watched what was happening up at the Pillar. They seemed either too scared or too hopeless to want to escape. Despaired, Tifa knew that this meant they would definitely have to stop Shinra destroying the Pillar now as the only means of saving these people.

"Cloud, come on, we've got to reach the top of the Pillar right now! We've got to get going up there as soon as possible, or Barret and the others are just going to die along with this whole Sector unless we help them!" yelled Tifa, frantically, very desperate and urgent to make it up the stairs to the top of the Pillar in order to save it in time.

Cloud nodded firmly at her, and then he looked back at Aeris, and then at Wedge, who was still lay very badly wounded and dying on the ground, his chest and back bones smashed and broken with his spine, along with his broken arms and legs as well, his blood spreading from around him. Noticing Cloud's hesitation, Aeris quickly turned to look at Cloud.

"Just get up there like Tifa said, and don't you worry about Wedge. Just let me handle this, okay? But to be honest, I'm not sure that even I can heal him, though. Potions and Cure spells can't heal critical injuries, and I don't know if even my healing spells can do the trick either, now that I've already used up so much mental and physical effort on myself anyway. Wedge's injuries are a lot more serious than even yours were back at the church…and unless he regains consciousness, there's no way I can heal him anyway," explained Aeris, seriously.

Cloud just slowly nodded hopelessly to her, realising with a sense of finality and defeat that, whatever abilities or magical talents Aeris was capable of doing, there were still some clear limits to what she could do with these abilities after all, and that meant that Wedge really was finished for good. No longer focusing on it anymore, Cloud slowly walked away from Wedge's body with a downcast expression that Tifa also shared, and then Cloud and Tifa both ran off to the stairs of the Pillar.

Behind them, as they both ran off, Aeris was still kneeling beside Wedge's body, and trying everything that she could to make sure that Wedge would be alright, but it was just no use at all. She had tried desperately to try and heal him, but Wedge was still unconscious, and she felt mentally strained and just exhausted, so she couldn't do it at all.

Aeris had completely healed Cloud's near fatal wounds back when he had fallen into the church, but this was far worse, and Wedge was too badly wounded for even her techniques to save him at the moment, under the circumstances. There was simply nothing more that Aeris could do for him.

To Aeris' surprise, at that moment Wedge had suddenly stirred, and seemed to have regained consciousness. Wedge had quickly realised that he was going to die at any near moment now, and that nothing could be done about it. So he raised his head and looked at Aeris, brave to the end. Seeing that he was awake, Aeris quickly tried to act at once.

"You've regained full consciousness again, now? Good, now please just hold still, I can help you get better in a few minutes or so…" said Aeris, but she halted as she saw Wedge slowly but firmly shaking his head.

"No, please…don't strain yourself for me…I can tell you cannot handle the effort of trying to help me get better, after you must have tried to save my life earlier…I overheard from the radio when you were in the mansion, that you somehow healed Cloud from the brink of death…and I don't doubt your capabilities…but I know you must have tried to get me down safely earlier, which explains why I just stopped and went slowly down for a moment…before falling again…I guess you must have strained yourself too much…to continue…so just get some rest…and don't badly hurt yourself because of me…I would question how you can do all this…but as I'm dying at the moment, it hardly matters…" said Wedge, slowly.

"But I have to…" protested Aeris, urgently, but Wedge still shook his head, and refused to have her get hurt.

"No, don't worry…I am grateful enough that you saved me from instant death earlier…to give me a chance…to die in my own peace now, so I'm glad you did what you did. When I was listening to the radio…I learned that your name is…Aeris, right…? Don't worry…about me…my time is up now. Just go to the bar and get…Marlene…out of here at once, now. She's a great deal more…innocent and…young, so…she deserves…to get out…of here a lot more…than I do…so go and take her somewhere safe…right away…please…every second in here counts…so get her out…as soon as possible…" said Wedge, hoarsely, with a hint of desperation.

"Are you really that sure about this decision of yours, Wedge? You honestly don't look so well at all…" said Aeris, knowing that was a severe understatement, but she was very worried and concerned. Wedge nodded slowly and wearily.

"Yes, I am sure of this…so please…just go now to the bar…and get Marlene…far away from this whole area…and take her…to safety elsewhere, along with yourself. And, Aeris…thank you for trying to save me, but don't grieve over this…there was nothing more you could have done…" whispered Wedge, his voice getting weaker and weaker until it finally faded away, and then his eyes slowly closed, and his head leaned to one side, and at that moment, he stopped breathing completely, and lay absolutely motionless.

Alarmed, Aeris quickly kneeled down beside Wedge's body, and checked for any pulse. There was now none there at all, and there was no longer any rate of heartbeat either, nothing whatsoever, and Aeris knew that these facts could only mean one thing. Wedge was dead.

Realizing this, Aeris bowed her head in sadness and sorrow for a long moment, tears falling from her face, and she even did a prayer in honour of Wedge, before she slowly stood back up on her feet, and looked down at Wedge's dead body. Wiping the tears from her eyes, and remember what Wedge had asked of her, Aeris quickly rushed away in the direction of Tifa's bar.

In the other direction to Aeris, Cloud and Tifa were quickly running towards the beginning of the stairs of the Pillar, but then they both abruptly stopped in their tracks in shock and horror as they saw something on the stairs. Fear and frantic concern filled the two of them once again.

Biggs was standing there alone at the beginning part of the staircase. But they both clearly saw that he was very badly wounded, and he was leaning over on the metal railing of the staircase for support, breathing heavily and slowly, as his own blood seemed to spread from him.

Horrified and concerned, Cloud and Tifa quickly rushed over to Biggs, alarmed and fearful for him, as they reached the beginning of the staircase, and stood beside him. Cloud noticed with horror that the metal railing was covered with Biggs' blood, and blood also stained the stairs where he was as well, quickly spreading away from him. There were clear bullet wounds in his chest, his left leg and right arm, and blood was flowing from each of them. Many Shinra soldiers lay dead not far in front of him near the beginning of the stairs, each with bullet wounds, and Cloud knew Biggs had been trying to hold them off.

Noticing their arrival as they stood near him on the stairs, Biggs slowly turned his head in their direction while leaning on the railing, and he stared at Cloud as he spotted him, surprised and yet, like Wedge, he was clearly glad and very relieved to see him there, and smiled slightly. Both Cloud and Tifa could tell that Biggs was dying quickly from his wounds, as they both stood close and listened intently to him as he spoke in a slow and feeble tone of voice.

"Cloud…you really did come here to help us…after all…I'd almost started to…give up on you…coming here…so then, does this mean that you…really do care about…what happens…to us and the Planet's survival…? Have you…changed your…mind…at all…about our cause for the Planet…?" asked Biggs, curiously, breathing slowly and heavily, looking very white due to blood loss. Cloud ignored the question, not knowing the answer.

"I still don't know whether or not I'm willing to fight to the death for the Planet's survival like the rest of you, but I don't think that's important right now. All I know is that I've grown to be concerned for the safety of you and the others, and now you're clearly badly wounded, Biggs," said Cloud, concerned and worried. Tifa looked very anxious too, as she laid a hand on Biggs' shoulder in comfort. Biggs smiled at them both, though it made him wince with intense pain.

"Thanks by the way, Tifa…you've always been very kind to me, and a good friend…and thank you too, Cloud…It's good…to know…that you…really do care about us…after all…even if you're…still not concerned…about the Planet…Now go up those stairs, and don't bother worrying about…me now, I'm not going to last much longer…Barret's fighting…against Shinra…up there, and he's going to need help to defend the Pillar…and to stay alive too…Go and…help him…and Jessie…please save them and the people…save them all…" whispered Biggs, wearily.

Before either Cloud or Tifa could say anything more to him at all in response, Biggs then stared to choke suddenly, as his body rocked about violently, and Biggs went into a hideous fit of coughing, blood spraying from his mouth. Then suddenly, the chocking abruptly ceased, and Biggs suddenly slid off the railing, and landed with a thud on the stairs at Cloud and Tifa's feet, laying completely motionless, his eyes wide open and staring blankly, looking lifeless.

Terrified and alarmed by what he had just seen, Cloud quickly knelt down on the stairs beside Biggs' bloody and lifeless body, and rushed to check for any pulse, but there was now none there at all, and Cloud knew at once what this meant, with a feeling of dread. Biggs was dead.

Cloud reached out and closed Biggs' lifeless and staring eyes, before he stood up to his feet, and stared down at Biggs' dead body in complete disbelief, and boiling anger was surfacing from within him. He had just watched Biggs die right there in front of him. All because Cloud had to fall off that bridge…

Cloud felt that all of this, the deaths of Biggs and Wedge, were happening because he had got careless up there on that Reactor bridge at the Mako Reactor N05, when he had fallen from it, and way from the rest of the group. If he had only been here at the Pillar from the start along with Tifa as well, Biggs would probably have still been alive, and Wedge might have been alright too.

Cloud clenched his fists tightly in anger, and he was also now determined not to let Biggs down either as well as Wedge; he would defend the Pillar from Shinra. Without another look back, Cloud quickly rushed up the stairs as Tifa followed him, tears flowing down her cheeks at what was happening.

Cloud and Tifa both rushed up the long, spiralling staircase surrounding the Pillar as fast as they could, and they had almost reached the top platform at the very top of the Pillar in a few minutes, but Cloud could still hear Tifa sobbing behind him. In concern, Cloud stopped in his tracks and faced Tifa, who then stopped as well. Cloud brushed the tears from his face, and took a step towards her.

"You think you're going to be okay, Tifa?" asked Cloud, concerned. Tifa didn't answer him, her head bowed sadly. Cloud walked closer to her, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"I know what you're thinking, Tifa. This is pretty much like what happened back at Nibelheim, five years ago…our friends and families dying while we have to watch and get caught up helplessly in the middle of it all. But this time it's going to be different," said Cloud, his voice firm and sure.

"How, Cloud? How can you possibly know all that?" asked Tifa, hopelessly, with a hidden meaning to her words, a few tears still sliding down her face, but Cloud never noticed the other meaning behind it. Cloud gently brushed her tears away again, and lifted her chin up so that she faced him.

"I'm not going to just stand back and watch like I did back then. I won't fail you this time, I'll keep my promise," said Cloud, his grip tightening on her shoulder. Tifa smiled at him.

"I know you will, Cloud, I know…" said Tifa, softly, and then they both continued to run and make their way up to the stairs of the Pillar, feeling a little more reassured. But then they suddenly stopped in their tracks on the middle of the stairs as they noticed something there, and their eyes widened in shock and horror.

Jessie was lying VERY badly wounded on the middle of the stairs, in an even worse and nasty looking condition than either Biggs or Wedge had been in, as she was completely covered with her own blood, which flowed around her as well, as she lay dying there on the stairs near the top of the Pillar.

Looking down at her ruined body in grief and terror, Cloud saw that it was a complete miracle that Jessie was still alive right at this moment. Her legs looked as though they were very close to being torn completely off, and her arms limply lay broken and smashed at her sides. Her back had completely split open, and her torso had torn open as well.

Cloud and Tifa quickly knelt down beside her, forced to kneel down in the pool of blood that was spread all around her, both of them alarmed and fearful, as they knelt down right beside her. Jessie seemed to awaken, and noticed them there, and she slowly lifted her head an inch upwards to look at them, but had no more strength to do more than that.

"…My friends…my dear friends…you've arrived here at last…thank goodness for that…thank goodness…" said Jessie, weakly, her voice very small and barely audible at all. Tears spread down Tifa's face, as she shook her head wildly in clear disbelief and grief.

"Oh my god…dear god, we're already too late! Oh Jessie, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry that we couldn't come here any sooner, I really am…" said Tifa, sadly, sobbing as she looked at Jessie.

"(I knew we should have gotten here sooner…I knew we might be too late to save them…and I was right all along…all of them are gone now…Biggs…Wedge…and now Jessie's going to die too…this situation is just so terrible…)" thought Tifa, sadly.

"Tifa…what if…what if you knew now that I've always…had a crush on…Cloud. You should…hate me…I've been so…jealous of you, I knew I couldn't compare…jealous, but happy for you at the same time…even if I always have felt something…" said Jessie, slowly, her eyes sparkling a little. Jessie turned to face Cloud, and smiled softly.

"I couldn't let myself die here and now…without having the chance…to tell you that…first…even if I have got…long since over you now…and fallen for a certain someone else instead…if only I had realized it sooner…" said Jessie, smiling softly, and wincing with pain as she did so, tears spilling forth from her eyes, due to agonizing pain, both physically and mentally.

"I never knew at all…" replied Cloud, quietly, his head bowed, at a completely loss of what to say or of what to think, he just didn't know at all...

"I…know you didn't…know or feel anything, Cloud…but I'm not bitter…for it at all…I kept quiet…because I just didn't want…to interfere like that…not when you clearly weren't interested at all…I didn't want to cause any problems…I'm so sorry if I have now, Tifa…" said Jessie, painfully, but Tifa quickly shook her head, and smiled reassuringly at her.

"You really don't have to feel sorry about anything like that at all, Jessie, I don't hate you, and I never had. I understand how you must have felt, and I don't blame you for it. You're still one of the best friends that I ever had, Jessie. I'll always think of you, Biggs and Wedge as three of my very best friends. Even after all of this," said Tifa, softly. Jessie smiled, comforted a little by her words, but she was still rather downcast.

"I'm sorry…I really am sorry…that I can't help defend and save the Pillar from Shinra now…forgive me…I have…failed you all…I've let each and every one of you…down here…I just wasn't strong enough…to stop them…I wasn't strong enough to make…any real difference…" said Jessie, sadly. But Cloud shook his head firmly at her.

"NO, that's not true! You didn't fail any of us at all! You did your job well, Jessie. You held them all off until we got here, and you helped prevent Shinra Incorporated from destroying the Pillar until we would arrive to save it. If anything, you should be really proud of yourself for all that you're done here. You fought bravely, and you've kept your honour…Shinra are going to be sorry you weren't on their side, just like I told you back at the Mako Reactor N0.1," said Cloud. Jessie smiled at him.

"Cloud…I'm just so glad…really glad…that I could…talk with you both…for one last time…before I go…with Biggs and Wedge…to whatever our next journey may be…after life…by the way, it was Biggs I'd fallen for…after getting over you…he told me once that he loved me, but I never took his word for it…until recently…and now I'm only sorry that I didn't sooner…before I go now…but at least I go with him…after you and I have had our last goodbye…" said Jessie, smiling at Cloud.

"Please, Jessie, don't say last…" said Cloud, saddened and depressed. He knew that she was right, but the fact of it all was upsetting him all the more. Jessie smiled kindly, and slowly shook her head.

"Don't despair…it's going to be alright…Cloud…But because of…our past actions…back at the Mako Reactor N01…many people…have all died…as a result…of our own rebellion against Shinra…of our own selfish acts…I've come understand that what we did was wrong now…no matter what the reason for it…This situation here is probably…our own punishment for our deeds at the Reactor…Please, Cloud…help Barret defend and save that Pillar, and help him to stay alive too…then maybe…it will make it seem…like this wasn't all in vain…And when you see Barret…tell him…that he must not sacrifice innocent lives anymore…not for anything…tell him to find another way…to stop Shinra…tell him not to kill any more innocent people…I would be comforted…to know that it wouldn't happen again…" said Jessie.

"Is that so…?" asked Cloud, numbly, still very depressed by what had happened to her, and to Biggs and Wedge.

"…'Is that so'…? Ha, I would have expected…that sort of response from you at any time…but I mean it…in a good way, so don't worry, Cloud…You always were cool and casual about things…Mr Ex-SOLDIER…and I had always…liked that…in you…" whispered Jessie, hoarsely, her voice then fading away.

Jessie smiled up at Cloud, staring up at him, as Cloud looked back down at her. Suddenly, Jessie began to gasp in sudden pain, and her breathing quickly became more violent and heavy, rocking her ruined body about. Cloud reached down, and held her tightly against his chest, as Jessie buried her head in his shoulder, giving her some comfort as she violently rocked about in his arms for a moment, until she suddenly stopped moving abruptly, and became completely still.

Noticing this at once, and feeling a horrible sense of dread, he slowly lowered her back down to the floor of the stairs, setting her comfortably there. A peaceful smile was spread across her face, and her eyes were closed, as she lay completely motionless, with no sign of life in her. Cloud already knew the state was she in, but he still checked her pulse all the same, and he received no surprise about the fact there was no pulse at all, it was what he had expected. Jessie was dead.

As they knelt beside her, Cloud and Tifa looked down at Jessie's dead body, for one last final time. Slowly, Cloud knelt down, and kissed her on the forehead out of only respect for her, before he slowly got back up onto his feet, staring down at Jessie's body without a sound, as Tifa stood back up and did the same as well.

Cloud tightly clenched his fists, harder than ever now, and he snarled angrily in rage, determined to get revenge for her, Biggs and Wedge, and he quickly ran up the staircase to the very top of the Pillar, without saying another word.

Tifa quickly followed him, looking very pale and on the verge of tears, quite a few tears were already flowing down her face, as she and Cloud both soon reached the top stairs of the Pillar. Noticing this, Cloud stopped again, facing Tifa.

"Come on, don't just give into despair now, Tifa, now's not the time for that at all. You have to be confident, Tifa, despite all that's happened here already. You have to be, or you'll never win against Shinra right now," said Cloud, reassuringly.

"I know that…but I…" began Tifa, sadly, her head bowed.

"NO buts, Tifa, none at all. I'm here for you, but you have to be strong for yourself right now too, okay? Don't worry, we've both already come through a lot worse than this, and you know it," said Cloud, sternly.

"Yeah…you're right, Cloud. We have come through worse even than this…back then. We'll make it through this too," said Tifa, nodding in reassurance, looking more confident.

Cloud smiled slightly at her, and then at that moment, he completely startled her and himself by leaning over and kissing her on the cheek, an act only of instinct. As he pulled away, Cloud's eyes widened in surprise and shock, hardly believing what he just did.

Tifa stared at him for a long moment in shock, her mouth hanging open slightly in disbelief, and then smiled and blushed, her confidence renewed, while Cloud looked uncertainly back at her, and after giving each other a rather awkward look, the two of them quickly ran along the top stairs, to the top platform of the Pillar, and as they finally arrived there, they started urgently searching around the place for Barret at once.

Many Shinra Soldiers were lying dead on the floor, each of them covered with bloody bullet wounds, and some with other sorts of wounds as well. Cloud and Tifa quickly cleared a path on the platform by throwing these bodies off the edge of the platform, and with no more obstacles in their way, they ran to the platform's other side, and spotted the leader of AVALANCHE standing before the top of the great Pillar itself, and saw to their immense relief that he was alright. But as soon as Barret heard footsteps coming towards him, he came to a false conclusion, as he spun around in the direction of the sound, and opened fire…

Far below the top platform of the Pillar, fifty meters below in fact, Aeris was quickly running along the Slums of Sector 7 to Tifa's bar, racing to there frantically as fast as she could. She spotted a bar that had the words 'Tifa's Seventh Heaven' written on the front of it above the front doors. Feeling enormously relieved to have found the bar, Aeris rushed inside. A brown haired little girl wearing a pink shirt and skirt with a yellow tie was standing behind the counter, and Aeris knew this had to be Marlene, as she quickly walked over to her.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" asked Marlene, nervously, as she saw Aeris enter the bar, and took a step backwards from the counter as Aeris stood before it, but she then smiled reassuringly at Marlene, who couldn't help but feel a sudden sense of trust upon seeing it.

"Excuse me for a moment, but are you…Marlene? Well then, it's really nice to be able to meet you. My name's Aeris, by the way. Tifa and Wedge have both asked me to come find you here to take you to safety, and to get you out of Sector 7 right away, it's dangerous here right now. So let's get going just in case, okay, Marlene?" said Aeris, softly and kindly. Marlene was clearly thinking about it for a moment, before she slowly nodded in response.

"Well, my papa always tells me never to trust strangers, especially bad men like Shinra people, but if Tifa and Mr Wedge really have asked you to take me somewhere, then I guess it's okay if I go with you then. Okay then, miss Aeris, I'll come with you. But is papa going to be alright if he stays here against the bad people?" asked Marlene, clearly very worried.

"Do you mean Barret, by any chance? Don't worry, he's going to be perfectly alright, Marlene. Cloud and Tifa are both on their way up to the top of the Pillar, and are going to go help him out right now," said Aeris, reassuringly.

"Okay then, that's good enough for me, papa's gonna be okay with Cloud and Tifa with him, I know it! Let's go then, miss Aeris, ma'am," said Marlene, politely, nodding and walking over to her. Aeris smiled back at her, and gently took her hand.

Despite the fact that Aeris was a complete stranger to her, Marlene somehow felt, even at her age, that she could trust Aeris beyond any doubt at all, and she immediately took a very strong liking and respect to her. Holding hands and smiling at each other, they both then quickly rushed out of the bar.

Aeris and Marlene then rushed through the front gate of the Sector 7 Slums, and soon they had safely let the Sector, and as soon as they were out of the danger area, they slowed down and started to walk calmly over to Aeris's house in the Slums of Sector 5, which Aeris explained to Marlene would be the safest place for them to go right now.

Marlene was very curious and intrigued to know how Aeris knew Cloud and Tifa, so on the way to her house, Aeris told Marlene about how she had met Cloud again in the church and all the things she had done with him since then, twisting some of the details a little to make it seem more like an innocent adventure to her, than one that had involved a bit of bloodshed at some points.

When Marlene all of a sudden asked gleefully if Aeris had a crush a Cloud at all, Aeris only blushed and giggled. Aeris also handed over one of her flowers to Marlene as a gift (she was carrying it in her dress pocket), and insisted to her that she didn't have to pay anything for it at all.

Marlene accepted it gratefully, staring in awe at what she called 'the pretty flower', and by the time the two of them had reached the Sector 5 Slums, and were getting nearer to Aeris' house, it was clear that they were already great friends as they talked a lot about various things, with a good deal of interest on the subjects, while they were on their way calmly to the house to get to safety.

Soon they were both now at Aeris' strange and beautiful garden, as Marlene stared around at it in amazement and awe, as they now had almost reached Aeris's house, and were about to go inside through the front door, when a man in a dark blue suit suddenly walked right out in front of them, and blocked their way from getting inside. Aeris gasped in shock when she recognized who it was. It was Tseng, the leader of the Turks, and someone Aeris knew well, for various reasons. Aeris stared at Tseng in surprise, and told Marlene to get behind her, which she did so, as Tseng spoke to Aeris calmly.

"Well well, hello there, Aeris, it truly is nice to be able to see you here again, it's been a bit of a while since the last time we talked now, I think…so long time no see. Shinra business is just so time consuming these days, so I've haven't had much chance to visit you again, and even now I'm afraid to say that I'm here on business too, rather then pleasantries. What about you then…you're babysitting, huh?" said Tseng, with a polite and causal tone of voice, but Aeris knew this was a misleading act of his, so she got him straight to the point.

"Just want do you want from me now, Tseng? Why are you here at the moment?" asked Aeris, sharply. Seeing that Aeris suspected him already, Tseng answered her.

"Why, I'm only here to finish my job at last, of course. I'm just glad that I happened to have come across you, Aeris. You haven't been too co-operative with either me or my men in the past when we've come to get you, have you now? So let's just hope that you are more obedient with me at this moment, it would be for the best of all our sakes. Either you come along quietly with us, Aeris, or we'll be forced to take severe actions to get you. After all these years of avoiding our grasp, I think it's about time that you came with us at last. You're trapped with nowhere else to go right now, so I suggest that you just give yourself up," said Tseng, warningly. Aeris shook her head.

"No, I'll never give up! I've ran away from you for fifteen years, and I can still run away from you now!" shouted Aeris.

"Well, I would strongly advise and recommend that you should reconsider your current decision, Aeris, before someone else here gets hurt…" said Tseng, warningly, now starting to look rather menacing and less calm. But Aeris still looked rather unconcerned, believing the threat to be just a bluff of his, as she calmly answered him.

"You know something, I really don't think that either Hojo or any of your other upper class executive bosses are going to be too happy with you if you hurt me too much, even if it does mean capturing me," said Aeris, with a knowing smirk. Tseng glared at her, before he then smiled dangerously.

"Oh, you really don't need to worry about yourself getting hurt, Aeris, for you see…I wasn't even talking about you in the first place…" said Tseng, menacingly, staring darkly at Marlene now, who had clung tightly to Aeris' dress from behind her, terrified by the situation that was going on.

Sensing an sudden opportunity to escape, Aeris quickly sprang forwards, and managed to rush right past Tseng before he could stop her, pulling Marlene along with her, holding her hand tightly, but Tseng then reached out and quickly snatched Marlene's other hand and grabbed her, pulling her out of Aeris's grasp, and held onto Marlene's arm so tightly, that she couldn't move at all, and she began to cry. Aeris spun around in shock, her eyes wide as she saw Marlene, frightened and shaking, trapped in Tseng's tight hold.

"Marlene!!" shouted Aeris, and she rushed over to them, and stopped before them, looking fearful and desperate.

"(Oh no, what have I done!? I should have known Tseng would try something like this, I should have figured out earlier that this was what he meant by his threat! Why didn't I see this any sooner!? Now I've caught Marlene caught up in all this, and she's just a young, innocent child. She doesn't deserve to be in a situation like this, and I could never forgive myself if I let anything happen to her…so there's only one thing to do to help her now…I have to give myself in…)" thought Aeris, resigned.

"Now stay right there, and don't you even move. It's your own choice to make, right here and now, Aeris. Either you just give yourself up now without any trouble or fuss, or this little girl is going to be killed, very slowly and very painfully, and by me. Either way, I'm not going back to the Shinra Headquarters empty handed. But if you come back with me to the Shinra building peacefully, Aeris, I'll give you my absolute word that I'll make sure that this little girl is not going to be hurt by anyone, and that she's completely unharmed," said Tseng, firmly.

"You…you wouldn't really just hand me over to Shinra after all these years of us two knowing and getting on with each other so well…would you, Tseng?" questioned Aeris, in a soft and sweet tone of voice, trying to trick him into letting his guard down, but Tseng wasn't buying it at all, as his eyes narrowed coldly, and a frown spread across his face.

"Don't even bother trying to trick your way out of this situation, this time you're caught out once and for all, with no way out for you. So just drop the innocent act, Cetra. Because I will not allow you to toy with me or Shinra any longer than the years that you already have spent doing so," said Tseng, coldly, his tone of voice icy, as he looked indifferently at Aeris, who sighed heavily in defeat, and nodded slowly.

"Alright then, Tseng, you win…if this really is the only choice that I've got right now, then yes…I will give in to your custody, willingly, without any trouble. I'll come with you back to the Shinra Headquarters, and let Shinra capture me, and do whatever they please with me. In return, just please let Marlene go now…and leave her alone and safe, right now, and for good," said Aeris, with a defeated sigh. Although clearly scared and frightened, Marlene looked rather touched and saddened by Aeris' decision, and Tseng faked a heavy sigh of regret.

"Very well, Aeris. I accept your surrender. You've made the right decision. It pains me to do this to a dear, old friend like you. But you come here first, then I'll let the girl go. And don't try anything funny, or else I WILL harm her," said Tseng.

Aeris nodded and slowly walked over to Tseng, her head bowed hopelessly as she knew there was nothing she could do to escape from this situation now, as Tseng then captured her, handcuffing her before she could do anything.

Tseng then let Marlene go, and captured Aeris instead, but Aeris made no move to escape, since she knew it would be pointless to try. A Shinra helicopter then flew down and hovered beside them, and Aeris and Tseng walked over to it, while Marlene watched them, fearful and concerned for Aeris, but unable to do anything about it. Suddenly, at that moment, having heard the sound of the copter, Elmyra rushed out the front door, and her eyes widened at what she saw.

"Aeris, no!! What's going on!?" shouted Elmyra, as she ran up to her daughter frantically, who looked stricken, and began to answer her, but Tseng beat her to it.

"She has willingly surrendered herself to our custody, Mrs Gainsborough. In accordance with a deal that the two of us have made here, Aeris must come with me back to the Shinra Headquarters at last, where we will finally have her in our procession once and for all," said Tseng, calmly. Elmyra stopped in her tracks as she saw Tseng, and glared hard at him.

"YOU! I should have known that YOU of all people would be behind something like this! It was always because of YOU that my Aeris was getting hunted and chased all the time by those Turks and soldiers, it was because of YOU that she lived through her childhood being scared and frightened all the time when thinking of when you people might show up again. Don't you think that you've already meddled in my daughter's own life enough yet!? Just let her go now, at once!" shouted Elmyra, furiously, but Tseng shook his head.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Mrs Gainsborough. As you well know, Aeris has avoided us for long enough now, and we have been getting very impatient over the years, of waiting for her to finally be captured. And now that I've succeeded here at last, I am not going to let anything stop me," said Tseng, coldly.

"Aeris, what IS going on here? All the other times he and his men have come for you, you've been able to escape him all the time because you've had your unique abilities to always help get you away. So why is it any different now?" asked Elmyra, urgently, and Aeris looked downcast as she answered.

"Sector 7 is in danger, and I was asked to bring this little girl here, Marlene, to safety. I could never live with myself if I didn't help out Marlene, so I got her out of there and brought her here to safety, as I had been asked to do. Then when we arrived here, Tseng just showed up, and I had no choice but to surrender to his custody, in exchange for Marlene's safety," explained Aeris, quietly, looking rather sorrowful.

"I'm sorry about all this, ma'am. I am really sorry for causing all of this trouble…" said Marlene, looking very anxious, fearful and concerned indeed. Noticing her, Elmyra looked down at Marlene, and smiled kindly at her.

"That's alright, dear, this isn't your fault at all, it's the fault of this bad man here," said Elmyra, as she turned to face Tseng, and glared at him, though she knew that there was nothing she could do to prevent her daughter from being captured.

"Well, if you're done with your little explanations, I suggest you both say your last goodbyes, before I take away Aeris to the Shinra Headquarters. And make it quick, I'm not going to wait that long for you two," said Tseng, sharply. Elmyra glared at him again, but said nothing, and she then stepped towards Aeris, and hugged her tightly. Aeris returned the embrace.

"Mom, listen to me for a moment. I'm going away to the Shinra building, but I will be alright, I'll make sure of it. Don't worry about me now, I'll take care of myself. Please take good care of Marlene for me, and keep her safe in the house. And if Cloud and anyone else with him comes here later, then please tell them everything about what's happened. And tell them everything about…about my reasons for having the talents and abilities that I have…about my true heritage. I think…that they have a right to know now…" said Aeris, urgently.

"I will, Aeris, I will do all of that, I promise. Now you just take care of yourself, you hear me? I understand that I can't do anything right now to stop you from going, but just try to look after yourself from now on. Promise me that you'll take good care of yourself, that you'll be alright from now on, and that you will come back home safely someday, and greet me then," said Elmyra, in clear concern and anxiety.

"I promise, mom. Don't worry, I'm going to be fine. I'll come back when it's all over…" said Aeris, reassuringly, as she broke the embrace, and smiled at her mother, then at Marlene, before she walked away and stepped into the helicopter, and Tseng did the same. The door slid shut, and the copter began to hover off the ground.

Then the helicopter flew off, as both Elmyra and Marlene watched it fly away, watching after it until the very moment that it had went out of sight. They were both very worried about Aeris, but they over to Aeris's house, knowing there was nothing they could do.

Back inside the Shinra helicopter, Aeris turned back from the window as soon as her house was out of sight, and then she spoke to Tseng, noticing the helicopter wasn't going upwards to the top of the Plate where the Headquarters was, but instead it was heading forwards, and Aeris knew they were still below the huge Plate, so she was bewildered about it.

"Where are we going, Tseng?" asked Aeris, curiously.

"Before we had back to the Headquarters, I thought that you might like to see a little something first of all. For you see, we're going over to the Sector 7 Pillar, so you can watch what's going to happen to your friends. Reno should soon be reaching the top platform of the Pillar, and he will be getting ready to set up the explosives on the Pillar's system controls even as we speak. Your new friends at AVALANCHE won't be around much longer now. Reno has just reported to me that Cloud Strife, that 'bodyguard' of yours, is on top platform of the Pillar right now, with two of his friends, as he is going to strike," said Tseng.

"NO! Tseng, you can't go through with this plan! You just can't!! Everything and everyone in the entire area of Sector 7 will be all crushed and destroyed at once! How could you just take so many innocent lives like that!? Why are you doing this to them!?" screamed Aeris, desperately.

Tseng never answered her question though, and he simply just turned away from her direction, as he sat opposite her in the helicopter, looking out of the window of the copter in his own thoughts.

"(We will need to go to Sector 7 to pick up Reno from the top platform after he sets the bomb as well, since he reported to me that a rebel he had killed had destroyed the helicopter he had been using just before that. So we will need to go there to allow him escape from the Sector in time, and then the bomb, having been set and cannot be disarmed, will blow up the whole Pillar, and the section of the Plate above Sector 7, with it's support gone, will come crashing down to destroy the entire Sector and both the cities above and below the Plate. This is indeed a most drastic and serious plan of action to take…killing so many people because of such a small rebel group, but I'm going through with the pain because it's my job. To complete a mission without letting anything, even thoughts or feelings, get in the way of accomplishing the task is the true pride and spirit of a Turk, and I will act in this way too,)" thought Tseng, still deep within his own thoughts even as the helicopter drew closer and closer towards the doomed area of Sector 7.

Cloud and Tifa both quickly scrambled out of the way of the sudden line of fire, and they hid behind the top pole of the Pillar, as the bullets missed them and struck the Pillar behind them. Mentally cursing to himself, Cloud quickly shouted out before Barret could come around and mistakenly shoot them.

"Hold your fire, Barret! It's us, it's just us! We've come here to help out!" shouted Cloud, loudly. The gunfire stopped abruptly, as Barret recognized Cloud's voice at once, and stared in numb shock at where it had come from.

"(Cloud and Tifa have came here at last!? Damn, thank the lord for that! I was beginning to lose hope of them ever damn well coming here! For a moment there, I thought that damn Turk had arrived here at last, it's taking him ages to get his ass up here, and no doubt he's gonna, if he's still got the bomb and all. But with Cloud and Tifa both here to help me out now, there ain't no damn way that Turk's gonna be blowing up this Pillar!)" thought Barret, triumphantly, feeling extremely relieved.

Satisfied that they had gotten their point across, Cloud and Tifa both came out of hiding, and walked up to Barret, who stood staring at them on the platform. Noticing them coming, Barret cautiously lowered his gun-arm, and he looked at them both in surprise.

"Sorry to spoil your determined hunting on us just then, Barret, but I feel that it's about time we did something useful about saving the Plate here from Shinra," suggested Cloud, coolly, and to his surprise he found that he was glad to see that Barret was perfectly alright, and still in good condition. Tifa smiled at Barret, and he grinned back at them both.

"Tifa! Cloud! You two really did come on over here to help us after all! Thank damn goodness for that, I should have known you guys wouldn't let us down here!" exclaimed Barret, clearly very relieved.

"Of course we'd come here to help defend this Sector from Shinra with you and the others, we would never just abandon you guys like this in such a desperate situation, you know," said Tifa, seriously. Barret nodded in agreement, although he now looked a little frustrated.

"Just where the damn hell have you two both been all this time, anyways!? Don't get me wrong, I sure am damn glad you guys could be make an appearance now, but…" began Barret.

"Right after we found out about this plan from Corneo, he tricked us, and sent us down a trap door into the sewers of the Slums. His pet monster attacked us, and after we dealt with it, we came from the sewers, and the Train Graveyard, over to here as fast as we could," explained Cloud, calmly.

"Oh, right…well that explains a lot, then. Guess me and the others must have missed hearing that part…if we had only known it sooner, it sure would have damn well changed things around here. Wait…is that blood all over you two!?" shouted Barret, suddenly, pointing in clear bloodstains that were all over their knees and legs, and for a moment, he feared that he really had shot them both after all. Tifa suddenly looked rather glum and sorrowful indeed, and Cloud slowly shook his head.

"No…it's not from us, it's Jessie's blood. We found her lying on the middle of the stairs, wounded very badly, and we had to kneel down in her pool of blood to comfort her as she…passed away. She, Biggs and Wedge are all dead, Barret. We've seen them all," said Cloud, grimly. Tifa turned away, her head bowed, while Barret cursed in rage and fury.

"Damn those Shinra bastards, I'll get them for this if it's the last bloody thing that I ever do! They're really gonna suffer for what they did to the others, I swear it on my own damn grave!" snarled Barret, his one fist clenched tightly in his anger, as he swore vengeance for this comrades and friends. Tifa spun around, and looked back at Barret as a thought occurred.

"Yes, we do need to make Shinra Incorporated pay for what they've done to the others, but we have to find another way to stop them from destroying the whole Planet, Barret. A way that doesn't involve destroying the Reactors and killing innocent people. That was Jessie's last wish," explained Tifa, solemnly. Barret stood in silent thought for a long moment, before he finally sighed and nodded.

"Alright, alright…if that really is what Jessie would have wanted, from now on we save the Planet in a way that suits everyone but Shinra. That's a promise to her," said Barret.

"That's all well and good, but right now I think we better focus on just saving this Pillar at the moment from Shinra, don't you think so too, Barret? I saw earlier that the copter attacking here had been shot down, and that enemy soldiers seemed to have been dealt with already, but is there any other danger that we should expect right now?" asked Cloud, urgently.

"Well, the Turk on board the copter escaped from it just before it crashed, and he had the bomb in his grasp. I don't think he's gonna just give up, so he'll be coming on up here anytime soon to set the bomb up here, and we gotta be ready for him when he comes," explained Barret.

"Wait…did you say he started to come up the stairs over to here when the copter exploded? But by then we hadn't even reached the start of the staircase yet…we would have been behind him then, but we never saw him there on the stairs…" said Cloud, slowly, not liking the way this situation was going, something very wrong was going on here…

"What does that mean then, Cloud?" asked Tifa, fearfully, as she too realized that they had not seen anyone of the sort either, while climbing the staircase.

"Barret, what did this Turk look like…?" asked Cloud, urgently, feeling a horrid sense of dread.

"Hmmm, let's see here…he had flaming, scruffy red hair, light blue eyes, wore that Turks uniform, only it seemed rather messy on the guy…why?" asked Barret, as Cloud's eyes began to widen in realization.

"That Turk was Reno…which means he must have fired his Turk Light at Wedge from the copter to send him down to his death from the platform…before the copter crashed down…and if he's hidden behind us…and we're on the top platform now, then that means that he's going to…shit, it's a TRAP!!" shouted Cloud, as full realization hit him, along with immense alarm and horror, and he spun around in the direction of the staircase that they had climbed up to reach the top platform, but it was already too late. The trap had already begun.

From the staircase, there was suddenly a huge flash of red light coming from there, and in less than a second, three small red meteors of energy came flying through mid-air straight in the direction of Cloud and the others, who could do absolutely nothing to avoid them in time as they each struck their targets at once. BANG!!!!

Cloud, Barret and Tifa each soon found themselves flying backwards in different directions from the sheer force of the attack that had struck them all, as they were suddenly forced right over the edge of the top platform.

Alarmed, Cloud acted quickly, and grasped the edge of the platform tightly, holding onto the edge and not daring to look down at the ground that lay fifty meters below. He felt immensely relieved as he then saw that both Barret and Tifa had also saved themselves by grasping onto the edge of the platform as well.

With some effort, Cloud pulled himself back safely onto the top platform, and Barret and Tifa did the same as well from their directions. They both rushed over to him, and at once they ran over to the other side of the pole of the Pillar, knowing that the system controls of the Pillar were there. But when they got there, they abruptly stopped in their tracks entirely, and stared in horror at what they now saw.

Reno of the Turks himself was crouching down before the system controls themselves, having attacked each of the three of them earlier, to get them out of the way of the Pillar, while he went to work on setting the bomb. And it had worked. A grin spreading across Reno's face, he slowly stood back on his feet and admired his work. Cloud and the others saw, in fear, that the huge, extremely powerful bomb itself was now placed right at the centre of the system controls of the Pillar itself, and they saw that the timer on top of it was steadily going down, second by second, which meant only one thing. Cloud stared at the bomb in horror, as the fact of it all quickly sunk in.

THE BOMB WAS NOW SET…


	23. Sector 7 Pillar: Terrible Fall Of Sector...

**_Chapter 23_** **_The Terrible Fall Of Sector 7_**

Reno of the Turks stood up on his feet, looking down with great triumph at the powerful bomb that he had just set once and for all, and since it could not be disarmed, then there was no way AVALANCHE would be able to stop it. The bomb was set to blow in twenty minutes, and it would be impossible for them to escape from the top of the Pillar and out of the Sector in time before it could be destroyed. AVALANCHE were doomed, and Shinra Incorporated had already won…

"(Ha, I'm really going to get a lot of money for this, I'll get a fortune from Shinra for accomplishing this mission! Damn it feels good to be a Turk. To cause all the chaos and destruction that you could ever wish for, and Shinra pay decent money to you for each one. After Tseng collects me from here in the other helicopter, I'll be getting out of this disaster area and heading back to safety where praise and fortune awaits! He'll come here before the bomb blows up the Pillar, but for now…while I'm waiting, I think I might as well have some fun with these three rebel losers. It'll be a nice warm-up, and if I keep them up here, it will ensure their own deaths,)" thought Reno, as he turned away from the bomb, and faced Cloud, Barret and Tifa, grinning wickedly at them, as they stared at the bomb in horror.

"Barret! Cloud! Come on, we've got to try and stop that bomb from blowing up this entire Pillar, now! There has to be some other way to stop this disaster from happening! Please, we have to do something!" shouted Tifa, desperately.

"Reno, just stop and disarm that bomb now, before it's too late! Don't go through with this plan, Reno, this isn't the right way to deal with us, and you know it! The whole Sector will get destroyed!" shouted Cloud, urgently. Reno yawned dully.

"Oh, but it is the right thing to do if Shinra want to deal with you all for good, because in this way, there's a complete guarantee that you'll all be dead, and it's the right thing to do, if the public wants to see an end to this 'terrorism' that you people have caused. Besides, even if I did have any second thoughts, which I don't, then you'll find that we're all too late to do a thing about it now. You see, once I push this button right here on the controls…" explained Reno, and to prove his point, he suddenly reached down and pressed a main red button on the control system. The control system of the Pillar had been deactivated now, and could not be turned back on to stop the bomb, which was still steadily reaching the end of its countdown.

"Then that's simply just all there is to it now, folks. Shinra's mission has been successfully accomplished, with the systems down, there's no possible way for any of you stop the bomb from exploding. Now I think it's about time that all of you will be dealt with, once this entire area is crushed, of course. So once again, it looks like the Turks are going to bring the whole house down, or in this case, this entire Sector!" said Reno, grinning in satisfaction. Cloud, Barret and Tifa gasped in horror.

"You damn heartless asshole of a monster! You're gonna end up killing all the many thousands of innocent people from the Slums and from above the Plate too, if you go through with this catastrophe, man!" yelled Barret, horrified.

"Yeah, and so what if I do, huh? You know what you're supposed do with garbage? Simple, you just put it away in a trash disposer. So just think of this plan here as Shinra's unique solution to disposing of all the garbage that dwells down here, rubbish and poor people alike. I know that you AVALANCHE people are a good deal stronger than you each look, but you're also far too late to stop Sector 7 from meeting it's doom. I'm going to put an permanent end to your terrorist ploys against the Shinra, right here and now," said Reno, coolly.

"You…you really just can't be that cruel. Don't you have any feelings AT ALL?" asked Tifa, sharply. Reno snorted at her.

"Well yeah, I mean come on, who really doesn't, good or bad? But if it comforts you to know this, then the truth is that I'm only really intent on doing this mission because it's my job, and the pay's gonna be really good for it. You see, the number one rule about the Turks is that they always get their missions done and dusted; no matter what the feelings they might have about it. That's the true pride and spirit of a Turk," said Reno, and it was clear he wasn't going to stop the bomb, and that he couldn't either. But Tifa refused to accept the fact that they had already lost to Shinra.

"I don't care what this Turk says, even if the bomb has been set, we still have to at least try to disarm it right now! We have to get to the system control panel, and try to stop it by ourselves! Cloud! Barret! Please, we just have to!" shouted Tifa, desperately, but neither of them answered, both knew glumly that there was no hope left. Reno sniggered, and raised his Nightstick in their direction, looking suddenly menacing.

"You people have already clearly lost out, so why not just accept it, already? If you really are going to try to disarm this bomb, however impossible it is, then I'm afraid that I just can't stand back here, and let you do it. I assure you all, no one ever gets in the way of Reno and the Turks of Shinra, and lives to tell about it. So you guys still want a fight here, for this doomed Pillar? Well, that's fine by me then. Let's do it, fight me now unless you ain't got the stomach for it," said Reno, darkly.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa all nodded to each other, and they all readied their weapons, with Cloud withdrawing his sword, Barret aiming his gun-arm, and Tifa raising her fists. Reno sneered at them all, before he suddenly sprang forwards and attacked them, and they had no choice but to fight back, as Reno charged at them with his deadly Nightstick held tightly in both his hands.

"Don't get cocky by the fact we outnumber him, I've seen Reno in action, and he did a number on me then! It's going to take everything we've got to deal with him!" warned Cloud.

Standing before the three of them on the top platform of the Pillar, Reno quickly raised his Nightstick, aiming it right at Barret, and he pressed a yellow button of the side of it. There was a bright flash of light, as a small, transparent pyramid suddenly appeared all around Barret, and it trapped him right inside it, just in the same way that a strong cage would trap someone.

Startled by this sudden strange technique that the Turk had just used with his Nightstick, Barret tried to break down the pyramid from inside of it, as he slammed his fist at its walls, but it had no effect at all, so then he tired to shoot it down with his gun-arm, but it was no use, as the bullets just seemed to dissolve on impact with the pyramid's transparent walls. Reno grinned as he watched Barret's futile attempts to escape the pyramid he'd set.

"By all means, try and break it down if you think can, but you'll find it quite impossible to do so in there. So how do you like my little pyramid then, huh? I designed it myself, with my Nightstick. And it's a rather effective technique of mine. The walls of it are using the very air inside the pyramid to set and harden themselves. You'll be dead in only a few minutes, as there will be no oxygen left inside there by then. It's invincible to break once it hardens completely. No one and nothing has ever broken out once it's set, believe me, I've used it enough times on enemies to know that pretty well. So say goodbye," said Reno, grinning menacingly.

Barret looked at Reno with shock and alarm at his words, and he immediately felt less air inside the pyramid, as though it was draining it out. Barret started to struggle to breathe, and he bashed against the sides of the pyramid, hoping to shatter it, but like before, it wouldn't even budge, and more air was then sucked out of the pyramid. Barret fell heavily to his knees inside the pyramid, panting and gasping painfully for breath as he was slowly suffocating.

Horrified as she saw that Barret was going to suffocate inside the pyramid unless he was freed from there now, Tifa saw that she had to act quickly to save Barret, so she decided to attack the pyramid from the outside, wondering if the outer wall of it was weaker than it was from the inside.

Determined to find out for sure, Tifa quickly ran up to the pyramid urgently, and she punched and kicked the outer walls of it hard, with all the strength she could muster, which was a good deal. Sure enough, the pyramid's walls were weaker from the outside, and the pyramid shattered into nothing as soon as Tifa had struck it, freeing Barret from it at once, as he was crouched on his knees gasping for breathe for a moment, then he stood back up, having recovered.

"Goddamn, that was a bad situation for a moment there, remind me never to hold my breath like that again. Thanks for that then, Tifa, looks like the walls of this cocky shit's little toy pyramid ain't nearly as tough as he made them out to be," said Barret, with a sneer at Reno.

Reno snarled furiously at the comment, angered that they had figured a way to escape his own pyramid technique, and no one had done that before, and because they had just figured it out, he would make them pay. Raising his Nightstick again, he pressed another button on the side of it, and at once, the Nightstick suddenly began to charge up rapidly, with sparks soon covering the whole weapon, as many volts of electricity quickly ran through it.

Cloud remembered back in the church what happened when Reno used the Nightstick on someone else when it was completely charged up, it had fired the person so horribly and effectively that Cloud couldn't even watch it as it took full effect, and as he saw Reno charge it up again, he knew that situation was going to get a whole lot tougher.

The Nightstick quickly finished charging up, electrical sparks flowing from it, as Reno charged forwards in Cloud's direction, preparing to lower the weapon down to strike.

Reno ran over to Cloud, who tried to leap back out of his way, but as soon as Reno neared him, the Turk swung his charged up Nightstick in his direction, and Cloud couldn't leap back out of the way enough in time, as Reno swung the fully charged-up weapon right at him, sparks flowing from it.

As a result of this, the Nightstick directly struck Cloud hard on the chest, while Reno charged it up with electricity at the same time, giving Cloud a rather big and nasty electric shock, as sparks flowed all around him. Cloud screamed in great agony at the sheer pain that surfaced through him at the touch of the electricity, it felt like it was much greater agony than anything he had yet experienced.

The high voltage on the Nightstick shocked his whole body, and then began to fry him completely, but then just as Cloud felt as though it was surely going to kill him, Reno suddenly drew back the Nightstick away from him, and then discharged it at once.

No longer being shocked, Cloud collapsed with a loud thud to the floor of the platform, and lay there motionless except for the fact he was shaking due to the shocks he had experienced, and he was too stunned and injured to get up for a while. Reno sneered down at the helpless form of Cloud as he stood over him, his Nightstick aimed down at him. Tifa began to frantically rush over to help Cloud, but Barret quickly grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Barret, what are you doing, let go of me now! I have to go and help Cloud, now let me go!!" screamed Tifa, urgently; trying to frantically shake free of Barret's grasp, but Barret firmly shook his head.

"Stay back here for the moment, Tifa, and don't let him draw attention to us yet, it's best for all our sakes, including Cloud, trust me. This Turk strikes me as being way too cocky and careless for his own good, and when he lets his guard down here, that's when we're gonna strike. Ya got that?" questioned Barret. Tifa nodded slowly, but was still very worried.

"Come on, you pathetic loser, I know you've got way more strength in you than that, now get the hell up! Let's just see what they taught you back in SOLDIER, Mako eyes, show me just what you can do! Now get up and fight!!" yelled Reno, sneering at Cloud, kicking him hard in the side.

Cloud winced in pain slightly, but tightly gritted his teeth against it, and slowly got back up unsteadily to his feet on the platform, still shaking all over from the powerful electric shocks he had received, and he slowly turned to face Reno, who merely leered at him.

"Why didn't you just kill me off at that moment?" asked Cloud, sharply, and although he was certainly glad and relived that Reno hadn't done so, he still found it suspicious that the Turk wouldn't have disposed of him just then.

"Hey, do you really think that I'd end this little game of ours so very soon, and ruin my fun up here by doing so? Oh, no way, I've got a lot more things planned out here before Tseng arrives to get me, and believe me, they're all gonna be really painful ones for ya," said Reno, sniggering.

Although his whole body was still thoroughly injured, and despite the fact he was shaking from the shocks, Cloud slowly managed to stand up straight on his feet, and then without warning, hoping to catch Reno off guard, Cloud swung his sword right at the Turk in a flash, but Reno was prepared for it after all, as he deflected the sword blow with ease using his Nightstick, and it wasn't hard to do so, since Cloud's strength had been weakened by the shocks.

Reno raised his Nightstick and prepared to swing it at Cloud to strike him across the head, but before he could do so, Barret sprang into action, clutching a Materia equipped to his gun-arm, green light bursting from the floor at his feet as he did so. A bolt of lighting appeared from out of nowhere, and flew towards Reno, about to strike him, but surprisingly, Reno sprang around to face the bolt, and raised his Nightstick before him, so the bolt directly struck the Nightstick instead.

But then, to Cloud, Barret and Tifa's complete disbelief and amazement, the bolt vanished as the Nightstick suddenly seemed to absorb the lightning bolt, and then stored it away, charging the Nightstick with even more power, as many vast and powerful electrical sparks flew right from it. Reno grinned broadly at the sight of the others stunned faces.

"So how do you like this special added feature to my Nightstick? Pretty impressive, don't you think? It was specially designed by Shinra Incorporated to be not only electrically charged, but also store any electricity that touches it. Shinra do have that sort of technology, you know, this and much, MUCH more. And since I was the only one in Shinra who could fully master the Nightstick like this, it was given to me for special use. Anyhow, enough chitchat, let's get this show on the road," said Reno, coolly. Tifa's shocked expression faded, as she smirked confidently at Reno.

"Yeah, I've got to agree with you there, let's get the show of your defeat started!" declared Tifa, as she sprang forwards, and quickly clutched a Materia equipped to one of her fighting gloves, as it glowed brightly at once, and green light burst from the ground beneath her feet.

Reno actually looked rather startled indeed by her sudden optimistic confidence, and was caught completely off guard by the speed in which she summoned up the Materia spell as it came into effect at once, before he could react to it at all. Several cold and sharp icicles then came flying out of nowhere straight towards him, and Reno soon found himself being bombarded by them.

One of them ripped through his suit and grazed through his side as it sped at him, and a nasty cut was caused there at once, with blood going down it slightly. Other icicles had flew and shattered themselves directly against his chest, causing various scratches and marks to be spread across him at once, and then the icicles were all gone. Reno stumbled backwards quite a bit from their impact, his chest badly aching in pain.

Reno winced in clear pain from the attack, and he was thoroughly getting annoyed that he had to do so, and furious that he was hurt by the attack. Reno raised his Nightstick, and with a press of the button, he fully charged up his weapon for a moment, and electricity suddenly sparkled and erupted from it, and flowed around it like it had before.

But instead of striking Cloud with it, which would kill him if struck a second time by it, Reno ran quickly up to Barret, who had completely unexpected this, and could therefore do nothing to avoid the attack, as Reno struck him with his Nightstick, while he also charged it with electricity at the same time, giving Barret a big electric shock.

Barret yelled in agony at the pain that suddenly rushed through him instantly at the terrible shocks of the electricity, it felt extremely painful indeed as electrical volts ran painfully through his body, as the high voltage shocked him, and then began to fry him completely, but Reno suddenly drew back the Nightstick once again just before that could happen, and then discharged it at once. Barret collapsed heavily to the floor of the platform, feeling badly stunned by the attack.

Still a little stunned and shaking by his own experience of receiving an electric shock earlier, Cloud snarled angrily at the Turk who was gaining the upper hand on them, and Cloud quickly rushed forwards, and swung his sword right at him, hoping to catch him off guard, but Reno had been completely prepared for it, and deflected the sword blow at once, with his Nightstick again. Cloud cursed angrily in frustration as the attack failed, and Reno sneered. It seemed that no matter how hard they tried, he was prepared for almost their every move.

"Well, it doesn't look like you're all that tough after all, does it, Ex-SOLDIER? But then again, I should have already known that fact from the last time I kicked your ass, back in the church, you remember? You weren't in my league then, and it don't look like it now neither," said Reno, tauntingly.

But while he was gloating at currently having the upper hand over Cloud and the others, Reno was clearly getting very careless at the same time, and this was exactly what Barret Wallace had suspected would happen, and also that he had counted on. Having acted still and bided his time long enough, Barret sprang back to his feet on the floor of the platform in a flash, smirking as he saw the look of shock on Reno's face.

"WHAT!? But…but how!? Back there, I must surely have shocked enough electricity in you to leave you paralysed for hours with my Nightstick! How can you stand up still and look so unaffected like that!?" demanded Reno, looking very highly stunned, and there was a slight tone of fear in his voice.

"What, did I fool ya into thinking I had been down and out back there? Ha, your company's Airbuster robot fell for the same trick, to it's own downfall. Have you just forgotten what's in place of my right arm, huh? Well then, I'll just explain it to ya! My gun-arm runs by electricity as well, so when you shocked me just then, I shielded my gun-arm in front of me to absorb your own Nightstick's electricity into it, it's got that feature built in as well! And now you've got my gun-arm fully charged up, let me show ya just what it can do now! You ain't the only one here who can fire big shots!" yelled Barret, as he raised his fully charged-up gun-arm, and aimed it right at Reno's direction.

At that moment, Barret suddenly fired a big, orange ball of energy from his gun-arm, heading straight for Reno, who stared at in shock and fear, as he then tried to block it with his Nightstick, unable to avoid it in time, but the ball of energy was far too powerful for his defences, and it hit him hard in the stomach, knocking all the wind right out of him, and the ball of energy exploded as it stuck him, sending Reno flying in mid-air, over the edge of the top platform of the Pillar, a big trail of smoke coming from where he had been struck, and he had screamed in pain from the attack, and looked very alarmed as he saw that he was about to fall from the Pillar.

But then Reno quickly reached his hand out, and he just barely managed to grab the edge of the top platform only just in time to save himself, and he was barely able to pull himself back up onto the platform with his other hand, wincing with pain as he did so, since his stomach ached a lot now and felt rather injured, as it seemed that some of his ribs were broken and his chest looked rather singed. Feeling his body ache all over now, Reno stumbled away from the edge, cautious and careful not to fall over it.

But Reno then turned spun around on the spot only to suddenly find himself facing a fist right before it smashed right into his nose, breaking it at once, and causing blood to begin to flow from it.

Reno yelled in pain from the sudden impact, and saw that it was Tifa that stood in front of him and who had struck him, but she give him no chance to recover from the blow, as she quickly swung out her foot in a flash, and kicking him hard, right in the stomach.

Reno let out a rather painful groan at the strong impact, his stomach feeling even worse, but Tifa wasn't done yet, as she suddenly grasped him by the collar, pulled him close to her, and she smirked and winked mischievously at him, before she struck him hard across the face with her fist, and sent him flying backwards with a loud thud to the floor of the platform.

Blood dripping down his nose, and wheezing in pain as he clutched his stomach, Reno steadily got back to his feet on the floor of the top platform. Rage began to emerge within him, and it quickly consumed him, his blood boiling at the fact that he was now clearly beginning to lose, and get beaten up all of a sudden. And he was even being toyed with.

"You guys think you can beat me!? Fine then, but you're all going to have to feel the full force of my wrath!! How about doing that facing off against a Hyper Neo Turk Light!" shouted Reno, enraged, as he charged his Nightstick to full power, and a big circle of red energy formed from its tip.

Cloud and the others knew that this definitely wasn't good at all, as red light erupted around the whole Nightstick, and began to form into much larger meteors of energy than the other ones. At once, Cloud, Barret, and Tifa tried to get out of the way of the attack, running at the other side of the pole of the Pillar, opposite Reno, who then fired three meteors of energy from his Nightstick in a huge flash of red light that shone around the whole top part of the Pillar.

Because they had gone behind the pole of the Pillar opposite where Reno was, they were safe from being struck and killed instantly by the big red meteors of energy that Reno had fired from his Nightstick. They struck the pole of the Pillar that they were hiding behind instead, and exploded against it in a flash of red light.

But Cloud, Barret and Tifa looked up and noticed in horror that cracks suddenly started to spread from that point of impact, and were going across it to the top of the Pillar itself. Some small parts of the structure crumbled from it at once from the cracks that had formed in the top part of the Pillar due to Reno's attack, but the top of the Pillar still stayed intact for the most part, though it was now covered with cracks.

"Whoops, looks like I overdid it just a little then, huh? I mean, I wouldn't want to blow up the Pillar now, not when I've got the bomb to do the job for me, and I don't want to be crushed like a pancake neither. That's the fate of you all, not mine," said Reno, with a smirk of renewed confidence.

"(Whoa, what power…that must have been his strongest attack that he had just used, we must have been getting the guy really furious and desperate if he just used an attack of that sort of power. I don't think we've got to worry about anything like that now, but this Turk is still very dangerous, we better be cautious against him,)" thought Cloud.

Looking at each other and nodded pointedly as though sending each other a quick signal, they all suddenly sprang out from hiding, and charged right towards Reno.

Barret was the one who reached and attacked Reno first, as he raised his gun-arm, and aimed it right at Reno, before opening fire on him. Reno quickly sprang to the side out of the way of the line of fire, and he went to run behind the pole of the Pillar on the other side for cover.

But Barret didn't give him the chance, as he quickly fired his gun again, and his bullets managed to hit Reno directly in the arm before he could get himself fully behind the pole of the Pillar, as he ran behind it just after his arm had been shot at that moment.

Reno yelled out in extreme pain and agony, barely able to stand up on his feet, as he clutched his arm in pain from his bullets wounds, and the blood already flowing from his shot wounds in his arm was staining his Turk uniform.

Getting very angry and murderous as he noticed this, Reno sprang out from behind the pole of the Pillar, and he quickly ran up to Barret to gain revenge against him. He knew the electricity wouldn't work, so he did the next best thing with his weapon, and struck Barret with a loud thud across the head with his Nightstick.

Barret let out a cry of surprise from the strong blow of force, as he stumbled dazedly from the impact, and nearly fell onto the floor of the platform, but he was just able to stand his ground, although his head ached and hurt badly, and he felt dizzy for a while, as he swayed, before falling to the floor.

Cloud then reached Reno, as he swung his sword right at him in a flash, but Reno spun around to face him, and he deflected the blow with his Nightstick once again, sending Cloud stumbling backwards slightly as a result.

"Haven't you already figured out the fact that trying to attack me with your sword clearly isn't working?" asked Reno, with a triumphant smirk, despite pain flaring from him.

"That's exactly why I planned to improvise," replied Cloud, coolly, and before Reno could react, Cloud swung his foot out and kicked him hard in the stomach with a thud to the floor.

"You dirty…" began Reno, with an angry snarl as he stood back up on his feet, but he was suddenly interrupted as Tifa had suddenly struck him from behind, hitting him hard across the back of his head, with both of her fists clenched tightly together as she struck him. Reno fell hard, face first, to the floor of the platform, screaming in agony as his face and his broken, bloody nose struck the floor, and the back of his head ached quite painfully as well from where it had been struck.

Rage boiling and surfacing within him as he realized that Cloud and the others had already gained the upper hand on him once again, Reno sprang back up onto his feet, ducking his head, and a fist blow from Tifa passed harmlessly over him as a result of this. He glared daggers at them, and then raised his Nightstick, charging it up to full electricity once again.

Reno then ran over to Cloud, who luckily seemed to have recovered from the first series of electric shocks, but he was still very alarmed, as Reno swung his charged up Nightstick in his direction, and Cloud couldn't get back out of the way in time, as Reno swung the fully charged-up weapon right at him, sparks flowing from it.

The fully charged-up Nightstick directly struck Cloud hard once again, giving Cloud a rather big and quite nasty electric shock. Cloud screamed in great agony as pain flared all the way though his body, getting simply unbearable.

The electrical volts on the Nightstick shocked his whole body, and then began to fry him completely, but then just as the attack was going to kill him, Reno suddenly drew back the Nightstick away from him just in time, and then he discharged his deadly weapon at once.

Cloud collapsed to the floor, his trails of smoke coming from his whole body, which hurt and ached badly as he lay there on the floor of the platform, unable to get back up to his feet in his agony. Barret stumbled over to Cloud with some clear dizziness, as he swayed a lot, before finally standing over Cloud, holding his own badly aching head.

Green light then burst from the ground at Barret's feet, as he reached down and tightly clutched a Materia equipped to his gun-arm, and it glowed brightly at once. Some magical blue-white energy suddenly appeared out of nowhere towards them, summoned forth by the Materia, and it touched both Barret's and Cloud's whole bodies, vanishing as soon as it did so, and their injuries were fully healed as a result, and they were back again to full strength.

"Thanks a lot for that, Barret. For just a moment there, I thought I had really been completely fired by those electric shocks the last time, I might not have made it through it this time," said Cloud, as he stood back up onto his feet. Barret simply just shrugged, his own severe headache also gone.

"No problem, I think you and I both really needed that Cure spell from my Restore Materia, but have you noticed yet that so far that Turk's not even made any move at all to attack Tifa? Kinda strange, don't you think so?" questioned Barret, looking perplexed.

"Yeah, strange…" muttered Cloud, darkly, feeling intense rage flare up within him towards Reno, as he realized that Barret was indeed right, but this time, the rage seemed more closely linked with a feeling of jealously, though he would not have admitted it. Reno glared darkly at them, at the fact that they had recovered from his attacks, before a dangerous smirk spread across his beaten and bloody face.

"You know, now that you mention it, I don't think I have attacked your little girlfriend yet, have I? Well, we'll just have to change that, won't we?" said Reno, with a nasty grin, and suddenly, he then pressed the yellow button on the side of his Nightstick, and another transparent pyramid appeared, but this time it was around Tifa, and at once, it had taken its full and deadly effect.

Tifa quickly sank to her knees inside the pyramid as the air then began to go out of it faster than ever, and soon she had collapsed entirely inside of it, gasping heavily for breath.

Remembering how Tifa had saved him from the pyramid earlier, Barret quickly raised his gun-arm, and fired at the outer walls of the pyramid, but to his disbelief, the pyramid still stayed up, the bullets shattering on impact with the wall.

"Ha, this pyramid's not like the last one, you know! This one's got even stronger walls than ever, which means that not only can it not be destroyed from the inside, but it can't even get damaged from the outside of it neither!" said Reno, with a leer, watching as Tifa was clearly suffocating to death inside the pyramid, and would die in only another minute.

Feeling alarmed and overwhelmingly enraged by what was happening, Cloud suddenly charged up to Reno, with a bellow of anger, as he raised his sword, and swung it even harder at Reno, and the sword slash was so quick and strong this time that Reno was completely taken off guard by it, and barely brought up his Nightstick before him in defence.

Reno received an absolute shock, however. This time the Nightstick didn't deflect the blow and knock the sword away, but instead, the sword completely slashed right through the Nightstick and cut it in half, and the blade also cut through Reno's uniform at his chest, as it made a nasty but not deep cut through his chest, blood going down it slightly at once.

Reno screamed in agony, and stepped backwards from Cloud and the others in pain, dropping the two broken halves of the Nightstick to the floor of the top platform of the Pillar, and all the effects of the Nightstick had now been rendered useless as it was destroyed. The pyramid surrounding Tifa shattered all around her at once, and Tifa was then freed, as she gasped and panted heavily for air, before getting back up to her feet.

Reno was now clearly in a bad condition now, as he had a broken and bleeding nose, had been punched and hit in the face a few times, had a bad headache at the back of his head, had some broken ribs, a burnt and singed chest with several cuts over it due to the icicles and the sword slash from Cloud, and had a wounded arm that had been shot, and other bruises.

"Well Reno, it looks like you've clearly lost out against us here, doesn't it? Without your Nightstick, you can't even hope to defend yourself from our attacks; I know that's where all your threats come from. So now it looks as though we really are in a different league altogether, doesn't it? Though not quite like you had in mind," said Cloud, coolly, and both Barret and Tifa then sniggered before bursting into laughter at that last comment of Cloud's, knowing that they'd definitely won.

Feeling completely enraged and humiliated, Reno glared viciously at them all, but didn't make any move to attack, he knew that they were right. Now that his Nightstick had been destroyed, there was no way he could hope to win or even survive against them in a fight. Cloud threateningly raised his sword, Barret aimed his gun-arm, and Tifa clenched her fists, all of them ready to finish him at any moment's notice.

Reno wasn't a coward, but he was no fool either, and he believed that only fools sacrificed themselves for their jobs, just like those other AVALANCHE rebels had. Reno saw that the others clearly had the upper hand over him now, and that he was outnumbered too, so that meant only one thing; that it was time to surrender the fight and retreat.

Utterly lived and disgraced, Reno cast a look around the area, checking for any excuse to leave without making it seem like a cowardly retreat, and felt relief as he spotted the bomb on the system controls, and noticed that it would only be a few minutes now before the Pillar exploded. He turned to face Cloud and the others, glaring hard at them.

"As must as I'd like to stay and continue our little game, AVALANCHE, I'm afraid that it's time for me to leave here with my life. Have you three already forgotten the Pillar will explode at any moment, and that you can't possibly do anything to stop it, or get away from here in time to avoid being crushed? You may have won the battle, but here and now, you've lost the war, and Shinra will be the real victors in the end," said Reno, with a grin. That certainly wiped the smiles off their faces.

Reno's grin widened as he heard the sound of helicopter blades coming closer and closer, and knew that Tseng had finally arrived in the area of Sector 7 at last. With a mock bow to Cloud and the others, Reno suddenly fled away from them, as the Shinra helicopter arrived and hovered before the top platform with the side door open. Reno leapt inside through the door, despite the vast and painful injuries he had received in the fight, and the door then shut, and the helicopter flew away from the top platform.

As soon as Reno had left the platform, Tifa immediately ran over to the system controls of the Pillar to desperately try and find a way to disarm the bomb, however hopeless their situation seemed, they had to try. Cloud rushed over to her to help her disarm the bomb, and looked closely at the bomb's programming systems. Barret also rushed over to there, and stared down at the deadly device.

"DAMN IT! It's a bomb that works by a timer, and the time on it's gonna go down all too soon now! There's no damn way we can stop it in time to save us or this whole place!" shouted Barret, alarmed.

"We're not going to give up, I refuse to believe that this is the end of Sector 7, it's been my home for the last few years, and I won't let it die, or any of us either! Cloud, please help, I don't how to stop this bomb; I don't have any experience with this sort of thing! Come on, you're a mercenary who's supposed to be experience at various things, so just try it now at the very least!" cried Tifa, desperately. Cloud crouched down before the bomb, checking its settings as its timer went down, but he sighed heavily and shook his head hopelessly in defeat.

"Reno was right all along, he wasn't bluffing about this at all, it really is impossible to prevent this bomb exploding once its set. This isn't a normal time bomb mechanism that we can just disarm whenever we feel like it. Shinra have specially made it themselves just for this purpose here and now, and it's far too technologically advanced for us to stop it," said Cloud, numbly.

"(We're all going to die here…we're all going to get killed after all. Shinra Incorporated will have their wish…all of the AVALANCHE rebel group will be dead because of this plan just like they had hoped…this time there really is nothing we can do to prevent us from being killed…I've had so many close calls and escapes from death already…but this time…this time all of us are done for…)" thought Cloud, in defeat, as fear and panic soon began to fill him as he realized he and the others would be killed soon, and there was nothing they could do about it.

Suddenly, the same Shinra helicopter that had taken Reno to safety had arrived in their area once again, and it hovered nearby them, its side door open in their direction, as someone wearing a Turks uniform suit stepped out and stood on the side platform of the helicopter. But it wasn't Reno who was standing there on the side platform of the copter, it was Tseng.

"Ah, I see that the bomb is getting ever closer to reaching its final countdown, yes it won't be long now, and I'm sure that you rebel scum have already figured out that your efforts to stop the bomb are wasted ones. If you know that, then you'd be right about it, you'll truly have a hard and frustrating time trying to disarm that bomb. And it won't do you any good to mess with those controls either, it would just make your situation a whole lot worse. You see, if you try to get into its systems too deeply, then it's designed to blow the second that some stupid jerk touches it, and dares to tempt fate," said Tseng, icily.

"Please, as the official leader of the Turks, there has to be something that you can do to stop this bomb from exploding, so please disarm it now! We'll give up right now, without any fuss or trouble, and just hand ourselves in to Shinra, just save all the people living here in Sector 7, don't let them all die like this just because we're in here!" screamed Tifa, desperately.

"(There has to be a way to save Sector 7, there just has to be! Surely there's always a chance to accomplish something whatever it is, and there has to be a way now, there just has to be!)" thought Tifa, with despair. Tseng laughed scornfully.

"Oh, how very touching and becoming of 'terrorists' to care for the safety of the people, but I'm not interested in any heroic deeds right now, so I think I'll just leave the bomb as it is. And besides, only a Shinra Incorporated upper class executive can set up or disarm the bomb that will destroy the Pillar, and the support of the section of the Plate from above. Anyone else who tries to stop the bomb goes backwards in progress rather than getting anywhere forward at all. Do any of you three see that fact yet? You've clearly tried to meddle with the bomb, and all it's ended up doing is just speeding up the countdown," said Tseng, coolly. Looking at the timer, they saw that Tseng was right. The bomb was counting down much faster now.

"You damn rotten bastard!! You just shut your hole, or I'll shut it for ya!" snapped Barret, as he started firing at Tseng with his gun-arm, but he was so angry and furious that he wasn't really aiming or concentrating, and all his shots were missing and were way off target as a result, not even hitting the Shinra helicopter. Tseng yawned dully, rather indifferent.

"You know, I really wouldn't try anything like that, so I suggest you stop firing at once. You see, if you keep trying, however poorly, to shoot this copter down…then you might just make me badly injure our special little guest, who's gladly agreed to come with us at last," said Tseng, calmly.

Barret felt utterly bewildered by the Turk's comment, not knowing what it meant at all, but Cloud felt a sudden and nasty suspicion surface in his mind, with a feeling of intense dread at the realization. Tseng sneered, and reached down into the inside of the copter, and forcefully pulled someone out of it to crouch beside him on the side platform of the copter. To Cloud's horror and alarm, it was Aeris that came into view beside Tseng, her head bowed rather sadly.

Seeing the horrified and completely enraged expression that was quickly emerging on Cloud's face, as well as Tifa's rather worried and anxious look, Barret quickly stopped firing his gun-arm, looking on puzzled, as Tifa frantically shouted out.

"AERIS!!" shouted Tifa, frantically, sounding very worried and concerned about her indeed. Tseng raised an eyebrow, and glanced down at Aeris, before looking back at Tifa.

"Oh, so you two do really know each other, then? Reports that we've received recently suggested that fact to us, but now I guess it's confirmed. How very nice it is then…that you could see each other for one last time, before you all meet your rather crushing end. You know, you really should thank me, I think I've done you all quite a favour here," said Tseng. Cloud snarled at him, his fists tightly clenched as boiling anger began to fill him entirely, as he began to erupt with fury.

"What the hell are you and Shinra planning to do with Aeris!? Why have you and your men been after her for so long, and why have you all been so desperate to capture her!? What do you intend to do with Aeris!? ANSWER ME!!" demanded Cloud, enraged, his fists clenched tightly, as he glared hard and coldly at Tseng.

Aeris slowly raised her head to look at Cloud, and smiled at him slightly, a tear sliding down her face as she stared at him, and he stared back worryingly at her. Tseng raised an eyebrow at Cloud's enraged reaction, and shrugged indifferently.

"I haven't decided what needs to be done with her yet. It isn't my decision, after all, it's all up to my peers to decide the fate of her. The orders that me and the Turks received from Shinra were simply to find and catch the last remaining Ancient, and to take her alive at all costs. It's taken us a very long time to accomplish this task, fifteen years in fact, but now I can finally report this success to the President. He will be very, very pleased indeed. To have the Ancient finally in his grasp at the very same day his only real threats and enemies are dealt with…quite a day for him indeed," said Tseng, with a snigger.

"Ancient…?" mouthed Cloud, his eyes flaring wide with shock at what he had just heard, and he simply just stared numbly at Aeris, who nodded her head slightly. Tifa was also staring at her, and even Barret seemed stunned.

"What…she didn't tell any of you at all? She told you nothing about her heritage, about what she really IS? Ah well now, Aeris, that really won't do, now will it? Since you've been around her longest, I'll direct this question to you, Ex-SOLDIER. During the time you've travelled with her, haven't you ever wondered how she can do all the things she can do? Oh, I'm sure you have, and I'm sure you've been unable to stop. I would tell you more, of course, but since you're all about to die anyway, it think it hardly matters. As I've said, the Shinra will be quite pleased to have her in their grasp, VERY pleased indeed," said Tseng, with a dark grin.

"Don't you even DARE touch Aeris, or I'll hunt you down and kill you! Touch her, and I swear, I'll kill you, no matter where you're hiding away!" roared Cloud, livid with rage. Tseng simply shrugged, and simply looked bored and unconcerned by Cloud's murderous threat.

"You know, instead of just standing there and threatening me like some sort of lunatic, you lot might want to think more about your own situation. The bomb will explode in less than two minutes now, and there's no way any of you will be able to escape the Pillar's destruction in time. And then the Plate will fall and crush you all," said Tseng. Tifa ignored him, and looked at Aeris, speaking to her in a tone of voice filled with concern.

"Aeris, are you going to be okay?" asked Tifa, frantic with worry and anxiety for her. Aeris' eyes flared wide as she then remembered something, and she leaned over the side platform of the helicopter to make herself heard as she spoke.

"Tifa, don't worry! She's alright, I've already taken her to safety!" shouted Aeris, urgently.

Noticing this, Tseng snarled angrily with clear anger, and he suddenly threw his hand back, and slapped her hard across her face with a loud smacking sound. Aeris rocked backwards from the blow, slamming back against the side of the copter, and she then fell silent, wincing in pain as her cheek ached badly from the blow.

"The deal we made here was that you may NOT speak to them about anything whatsoever, now just shut up and keep quiet," hissed Tseng, sharply, an edge of venom to his tone of voice, and then he quickly regained his composure and calmed down. Cloud glared murderously at Tseng, in a look that quite clearly said he wanted to cleave him into shreds with his sword, and Tifa cried out to Aeris in anxiety.

"Aeris!!" shouted Tifa, worried and concerned. Aeris shook her head at her quickly, and shouted urgently at them all, not caring if Tseng hit her again or not.

"All of you, don't worry about me! Just hurry, and get yourselves out of here right now, before the Pillar explodes, flee for your lives, please!" screamed Aeris, frantically. Tseng merely sniggered at them.

"Oh come on now, when will you people learn that there is no time or hope for any of you to escape this place? It's already far too late, you're all going to get crushed to death, right here and right now. Well anyway, I think that the bomb should be starting any time now, so I'll conclude our little discussion here, while I escape to safety, and leave you three to your grisly deaths. Or do you still dare to fool yourselves into thinking that you can escape in time?" asked Tseng, sniggering coldly at them as if he very seriously doubted it, and they all did too. Aeris stared at them all in alarm and frantic concern, before Tseng hurled her forcefully back inside the copter, and closed the door behind him after he went inside too.

The Shinra helicopter then flew off, as the bomb was now only a minute from exploding, to the alarm and intense fear of Cloud and the others. As if they had enough to worry about, the top part of the Pillar suddenly started to crumble and crack apart slightly, as the cracks that Reno had caused to it earlier began to spread across it, and crumble some of the parts away from it. All around Cloud and the others, dust began to fill the air as chunks of concrete were sent dropping to the dirt far below from the cracks that had split them off.

But even as the cracks that Reno inflicted to the top part of the Pillar began to cause some chunks of it to crumble away, the real danger was still the bomb, as it counted down to only thirty seconds left until the Pillar would explode entirely.

Barret let out a string of curses, and looked around for any other exit that would get them out the Sector; as the whole set of stairs had at that moment been demolished by a large chunk of concrete that had cracked and fell from the Pillar.

Looking around frantically, Barret suddenly noticed a large wire hooked onto the edge of the platform, and looking up, Barret saw that it was tied tightly onto the section of the Plate that was above Sector 6, beside the part that was soon going to fall. With a sense of relief and triumph, Barret quickly grabbed the wire, and held on tightly to it, and he saw that it was tied tightly onto the other section Plate so it would not come loose if he and the others swung on it. Barret jumped towards the edge of the platform with the wire in his hands.

"(If me, Tifa, and Cloud jump off from the top platform here, all of us holding on tightly to each other and this wire, then we should be able to swing all the way down from here to the area of Sector 6 just outside the gate of Sector 7, right before the Pillar blows up. We'll escape with our lives intact, but all the people here…there's nothing we can do to save them now, we can't stop the bomb. Damn Shinra, I'll make them all pay for this, I bloody well swear it, but right now we gotta get out of here,)" thought Barret, as he shouted to the others.

"Hey, Cloud, Tifa, we can all use this wire to get out of this place right now, before it gets destroyed! Come on, get moving already, we need to go! There's nothing that we can do to save these people now! We have to save ourselves, it's no good if we jus stay here and die without being able to help anyone else!" shouted Barret.

Seeing Barret's point, Cloud rushed away from the bomb on the system controls over to him, and after a heavy sigh of defeat and sorrow, Tifa also rushed over to them both.

Cloud and Tifa both quickly held tightly onto Barret, as Barret held firmly onto the tough and tight wire, and he stepped onto the edge of the platform. With a loud bellow, Barret then leaped right off the Pillar with Cloud and Tifa both clung tightly onto him, and they all swung out of the area of the doomed Sector 7 on the long wire, and they were then forced to let go of it, and they tumbled hard into the playground just in front of the gate of Sector 7.

After they had landed heavily there, Cloud, Barret and Tifa all stood up, ignoring the aches rushing through them all, and they each stared in horror and fear at Sector 7, as the moment of its ultimate destruction had finally begun, and all they could do was helplessly watch as the disaster commenced.

At that moment, the timer on the bomb stopped and read 00:00, and it suddenly exploded in a gigantic ball of fire and light that flashed across the whole area. Gigantic flames spread and instantly consumed the entire Pillar itself, and in another flash of bright light, the entire structure of the massive and tall Pillar itself exploded in a huge ball of fire that blew the entire support structure to bits of rubble, as bits of concrete fell to the ground, and that was all that was left of the Pillar now.

As a result of the Pillar's destruction, the enormous Sector 7 Plate (right above the Slums of the Sector, with the upper city right above it) no longer had any support to hold it up from below, and it was torn violently from the steel cables that connected it with the other parts of the Plate, with a loud metal screeching sound that echoed throughout the entire city of Midgar itself.

The entire upper city of Sector 7 on the part of the Plate itself lurched to the side as the Plate began to be torn from its cables, shorting out all the electronics in the entire sector. TVs went blank, lights flickered off, and computers went dead, as all the cables surrounding the part of the Plate finally snapped completely off with a loud squeal of metal, and the gigantic form of the Sector 7 Plate began to fall down at once.

Beneath the falling form of the Plate, in the Slums, the people there could only look on, and watch in horror and intense terror as the gigantic Plate with the upper city above it slowly dropped from the very sky itself in a ball of blazing fire that erupted from across its gigantic sides, and the Plate began to completely crush and knock over the very tops of the tallest buildings in the Slums as it began to reach the ground.

The section of the Plate suddenly struck the ground with a massive slamming noise that echoed nastily throughout the whole city of Midgar. At that moment, explosions rocked the entire section of the Plate to its core as fire erupted across the Plate as it struck and flattened the entire Slums of Sector 7 in an instant, crushing the buildings to bits as if they were nothing, and crushing the people of the Slums so effectively that they were reduced to mere blood and squashed bits of flesh under the Plate at once.

The horrible, blood-curdling screams of all the citizens of the upper city of Sector 7 flew through the still empty night as explosions blazed throughout the whole place, and all the buildings of the Sector 7 upper city exploded in a gigantic shockwave and a massive ball of fire that reached up and rose above even above the upper cities that the city had once been beside, before the flames slowly began to die down, leaving every single person in Sector 7, in the lower and upper cities alike, all dead and killed horribly, crushed or blown apart, as the section of the Plate exploded into bits of rubble that spread across the entire area of the Slums it had fallen down to.

But up at the Shinra Headquarters that towered on the very centre of the whole Plate structure, far above on the top floor of the building, President Shinra watched and looked down on all the destruction and chaos that had occurred from a big window in his office, with no more than a big grin and a nasty sneer on his face, as he raised a glass of wine, and toasted it to the ultimate victory and success, and still stared at where the Sector 7 Plate had once been intact a mere moment ago.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa could only stand and watch all of this from the playground before the Sector 7 gate, in grief and terror, at the traumatic sight that would undoubtedly fill them with their own fair share of nightmares and horrors, as the deadly spectacle finally drew to a close.

A few more seconds and moments had passed by, as the flames and explosions that had surrounded the fallen section of the Plate finally died down, leaving a completely dead city above it, and an absolutely crushed city below it, and then all that remained of Sector 7 now was no more than a gigantic pile of rumble and ruins that had once been the section of the Plate, and a completely deathly silence filled the entire area itself, with only a chilling wind to accompany it, and all of the lost souls who had been crushed and annihilated by the cataclysmic destruction that had so devastatingly occurred…


	24. Sector 7 Pillar: Aftermath Of The Destru...

**_Chapter 24_** **_The Aftermath Of Sector 7_**

Filled with disbelief and fear at what had just happened mere moments ago, Cloud, Barret and Tifa quickly rushed over from the playground to the main entrance gate of Sector 7, which was now merely a pile of ruins blocking the way, and behind it were the vast and silent remains of what was now left of Sector 7, just huge parts of rubble and scrap metal spread across the whole entire area. Barret quickly run up to the ruins that were blocking the gate, feeling immensely horrified and fearful, as he tried calling out for survivors, but of course, there were none at all.

"Oh gawd NO, Marlene was still in there!! Marlene, please answer me!!! MARLENE, NO!!!! Biggs!! Wedge!! Jessie!! Any of you, please answer…!! Oh, goddamn it, they'll gone, all of them gone! DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!! Just what the hell's it all for, if Shinra always gotta make others suffer so damn much because of their own selfish needs!? MARLENE, ANSWER ME!!" screamed Barret, in clear devastation, hoping for any of them to answer back to him, but he could see it was no use, and he collapsed onto the ground, shaking wildly in grief as the first of his tears spilled down onto the pavement.

"Barret, wait a minute, don't get upset over Marlene, there's no need! Everything's alright, Marlene's going to be fine, she's alright!" shouted Tifa, urgently, running over to him, but Barret hadn't took notice of her words, and hadn't heard them as he continued to sob there on the ground before the ruins of Sector 7. Cloud and Tifa both reached him and stood nearby.

"Hey, Barret, come on, try and pull yourself together!" said Cloud, trying to calm him, as he saw Barret was very upset.

"Barret, stop this. Please stop it, Barret…" said Tifa, gently.

Barret paid absolutely no attention to either of their words, however, and sprang up furiously to his feet. Throwing his head back, he roared and bellowed in anger and fury at the heavens themselves, and he suddenly opened fire with his gun-arm, and fired like mad all around the ruins of the whole Sector, the loud noise of gunfire echoing around the whole place, and it didn't stop until Barret's gun had finally run out of ammo a fair few minutes later.

As his gun-arm only clicked when fired now, Barret then lowered his weapon, and screaming in fury and devastation, he threw his arm back, and slammed his one fist hard on the wall of the ruined gate, giving it a few more cracks within it, as well as bullet holes that he had shot into the ruins.

Then Barret slumped back hopelessly to the empty and now deathly quiet playground before the ruins of Sector 7, his massive shoulders now bowed in misery, and they shook wildly as Barret's sobbing and grieving continued.

Cloud and Tifa, who had both been simply standing there quietly, and watching him weep silently, occupied by their own depressed thoughts about the situation, and could think of no words of use or comfort to him, as they quietly followed Barret, while he sat down heavily with a thud on one of the playground swings, and he buried his head in his arms.

"God damn it all, just end my life now, I can't take any more of all this misery that those damn Shinra have caused to people, and the whole Planet…Marlene…she's gone…she's really gone…and she was all I had worth living for…she was all that kept me going…" said Barret, bursting into even more tears at the very thought of it all.

Watching him in that condition, even Cloud couldn't help but feel pity for him, even despite all the distrust and abuse he had endured from the big black man, but right now he was watching a father grieve for his daughter. Tifa looked at Barret, looking very concerned and worried about him, but she shook her head, as if she strongly disagreed with something he said.

"Barret, please try to cheer up, you really don't have to put yourself through all this agony for nothing, because Marlene really isn't gone…I think that Marlene is…I think that Marlene is safe. I think that she's still alive and well, Barret," said Tifa, seriously, placing a comforting hand on Barret's shoulder.

"Huh, what…!? What the hell did you just say, Tifa!? She's still alive!? HOW!?" asked Barret, shocked, as he raised his head from his hands at once, and he stared urgently at her for an explanation, a look of intense hope emerging on his face. Now satisfied he was paying attention, Tifa smiled reassuringly, and explained it to him calmly.

"Think back to when we were speaking to Tseng on the top platform of the Pillar, and when we discovered that Aeris is now his captive. Right before they left on the helicopter, and took Aeris away, she said to me, 'Tifa, don't worry, she's alright, I've already taken her to safety', don't you remember that? I know already that she had to be talking about Marlene. I had asked her to take Marlene out of the Sector to safety earlier, before me and Cloud went up the Pillar," explained Tifa. Barret's expression brightened considerably, and this time it was tears of joy that filled his eyes as he heard her explanation.

"R-Really, she's not gone after all…!? YES, SHE'S STILL ALIVE! She's really still alive!" exclaimed Barret, delighted, and he suddenly sprang to his feet, and quickly squeezed a startled Tifa in a tight bear hug as he jumped about on the spot in delight at the same time.

Feeling rather woozy, Tifa gasped for breath as soon as Barret let go of her, and sorrow suddenly filled her as the thought of their three comrades who weren't ever going to be there with them anymore.

"Marlene is alive…but the others…they're all…" said Tifa, in a sad voice, tears falling from her face as she thought of the cheerful times that she had spent with her three dead comrades and friends, and now they were gone. Barret understood what she meant immediately, and was becoming upset again.

"…Biggs…Wedge…Jessie…" muttered Barret, slowly and glumly, looking and feeling rather depressed indeed, his head bowed in sorrow at what had happened to his best friends. At that moment, Cloud, who had been silent in his own thoughts for a long moment, finally spoke up with a heavy sigh.

"They all died just before the Pillar blew up, when they tried to defend it from Shinra's forces. And all three of them were in the Pillar anyway, when the whole thing just exploded," said Cloud, regretfully. Barret snorted at him angrily.

"You think I don't already know all of that, ya spiky haired dumbass? I know what happened to all of them, I was there fighting beside them from the beginning when they gave their lives for trying to help defend the Pillar, but it still didn't make any damn difference in the end, did it? But despite that…we, all four of us, fought together against Shinra right from the very birth of AVALANCHE, we all fought for the people, and we all fought for justice to be done! No matter how this day turned out, they still fought bravely and died well, and they never once gave up the cause for the Planet's survival, and for the good of the people, even in the face of death! But most of all, they were all my best friends, and I just don't wanna think of any of them as dead, or that I failed them all when they died in vain to try and save a doomed Sector!" shouted Barret, in clear grief.

"And all of the people and citizens in both the lower and upper city of Sector 7 are all dead too…all of them…" said Tifa, sorrowfully, looking very depressed and tearful indeed. Barret snarled viciously, his one fist tightly clenched in fury.

"This whole situation here is all just so damn well screwed up, the whole thing's gotten way out of control! Those Shinra bastards destroyed an ENTIRE SECTOR of the city just to get to US, those rotten spineless cowards! They killed so many people today…hundreds of thousand of them…just to finish off a measly little rebel group with only six members!" said Barret, boiling anger and murderous rage filling him. Tifa was sobbing quietly, but she looked up, pained at what Barret had said.

"Are you saying that Sector 7 being destroyed is all our fault? That it's our fault that all this happened, Barret? Because AVALANCHE was here, Sector 7 had to suffer for it? So many innocent people lost their lives…just because of us being here?" asked Tifa, with a look of terrible guilt, clearly saddened. Barret shook his head firmly at her, with a new burning, fiery look of determination and resolve in his dark eyes.

"No, Tifa, that ain't what I'm saying! That ain't damn well it! HELL NO!! It ain't us who are to blame for this disaster! It's the damn Shinra's fault that all this happened! It's never been anyone, but Shinra Incorporated that have been causing all the people such misery and devastation! They're EVIL, and they're slowly destroying our own Planet just to build their damn own power, and line their own bloody pockets with gold! If we don't get rid of them eventually, then they're going to KILL this whole Planet! Our fight here ain't never gonna be over, until we get rid of them rotten monsters! The bastards were prepared to kill a whole eighth of the population in Midgar, just to get at us! I'm not gonna give up the fight until I kill every single one of those rotten little bastards, one way or another, for all the terrible deeds they've committed against everyone, and for the Planet!" roared Barret, furiously, waving his one fist in the air around in anger. Tifa still looked doubtful and unconvinced, as she bowed her head and shook it slowly.

"I really don't know about all of that, Barret. This whole situation, the struggle against Shinra and AVALANCHE for the Planet's life, has gotten way out of proportion, and one or two million people have already died because of it all, the bloodshed it's causing has gotten completely out of control. If we carry on with this rebellion against Shinra, all we're going to end up doing in the end is just endangering even more innocent people that Shinra would be willing to sacrifice. Maybe…maybe we just shouldn't do this anymore…maybe we should just quit now while we still can…while Shinra still think we're dead," said Tifa, hopelessly. Barret's eyes widened in surprise at her words.

"What the hell are you saying, Tifa!? You're just gonna give up on AVALANCHE now, that the others were all fighting for? Don't you believe me at all, about anything that I've just said?" asked Barret, looking both stunned and rather taken aback, but he was still no less determined than before.

"(I know that what Barret said is all true…if Shinra aren't stopped, then the Planet will eventually die out, and the people of the world are going to constantly suffer under their mighty rule. But still…are we really saving the lives of the people of the Planet, if this whole thing involves just taking away so many of those lives in the crossfire between the two sides that battle each other so intently, without any real thought for the full consequences of their own actions? I just don't know if the people really can be saved from death…but either way, even if AVALANCHE continue fighting or just give up now, it's always going to end in a lot of bloodshed, and a losing situation for the people we're trying to save…)" thought Tifa, solemnly, as she then spoke up to Barret, trying to sum up her thoughts.

"No, it's not that I don't believe what you're trying to say, Barret. It's just that…I'm just not too sure about what I feel about our struggle for the Planet anymore, after all of this has happened. And about my feelings too," said Tifa, slowly. Barret pondered this for a bit, scratching his head irritably.

"And what about you then, what are you gonna decide on doing?" asked Barret, curiously, turning to face Cloud, who had been listening to their conversation, but at the same time, he was completely occupied with his own thoughts, with one thing in particular on his mind.

Although he had heard him, Cloud never answered Barret's question, and he silently turned away and walked off from the playground, down the road towards Sector 5, without another word to either Barret or Tifa. He had heard and understood what Barret and Tifa had discussed, but throughout their whole conversation, his mind had been on someone else who they hadn't even mentioned yet, and that was Aeris.

Cloud thought back to when Aeris had saved his life in the church, and had then helped him find his way back to Sector 7 to save Tifa and Barret. He also remembered how much he had enjoyed simply talking and being with her on the way there too (except for the cross dressing part of course, he still intensely despised that). But the bottom line of it all was that he had made a promise to Aeris to look after her, to be her bodyguard, and he hadn't been there for her when she had needed him. He had failed her. He had completely and utterly failed her.

Cloud knew what he had to do now, and he felt so strongly about doing it too, that there was no way he wasn't. She had definitely saved his life by healing and caring for him when he fell far above through the roof of the church, and even though he had saved had her life on the train the day before that, and from Reno in the church just after she had helped him, he still wanted desperately to return the favour to saving him from his own brink of certain death, he absolutely refused to just stand by, and let her life rot away in some sort of cell. It was because of her that he was alive right now, and he owed it to her.

But why exactly did Shinra Incorporated want her so badly in the first place? Fair enough, Aeris definitely had unique and mysterious powers and abilities, but why were they really trying so desperately to catch her? What was the full and real reason that Shinra had hunted her down so much?

"(Wait…didn't Tseng say something, back on the platform of the Pillar, that Aeris was…an Ancient? If she is one, it would certainly explain a lot about all the things she can do, and why Shinra would want her so much, but I had always thought all the Ancients were all dead, hundreds and thousands of years ago now. So how could it be possible that Aeris is an Ancient, but then again…even my information on them is limited. Before I go to save Aeris, I have to find out the truth about her, once and for all, so I can fully understand what's going on here. But who would know, who could tell me…of course, that's it! Her mother, Elmyra, she must know for sure…)" thought Cloud.

"Just where the hell does he think he's going off to now, anyways?" asked Barret, bewildered, staring at Cloud, as he watched him walk away with a serious and grim expression on his face. Tifa also seemed puzzled, until a sudden thought and realization then occurred to her.

"…Oh of course, he's worried about Aeris!" said Tifa, with a gasp, realising and understanding now about just what was bothering Cloud. Barret turned to face her, still looking puzzled, though he seemed to know whom she was talking about.

"Oh yeah, I remember her now. There was that girl we saw in the helicopter back at the Pillar, who that Turk captured for some reason or other for Shinra, right? Now that I think about it, I know I saw her on the train once too, just after we'd blown up the first Reactor. What's supposed to be up with her and spiky haired boy over there, anyways?" asked Barret. Tifa frowned darkly for a small moment, but then quickly regained her composure, and shook her head.

"I don't really know all that much about her right at the moment, I've only known her for today, and even in the short space of time I've been travelling with her, she seems like no other person that I've ever met before, for many different reasons…but you should know that she's the one I left Marlene with," replied Tifa. Barret looked far more urgent and concerned now, at remembering that he wanted to see with his own two eyes that Marlene really was safe and sound.

"Damn it, I almost forgot about that! Marlene, I've still gotta see if she's okay, I've gotta know whether or not she really is in a safe place at the moment! I'm betting Cloud's got an idea about where that Aeris girl took her to, and I'm getting him to lead me to Marlene. Tifa, you may as well come with us too, and stick around with us against Shinra. There ain't no turning back now, we ain't gonna give up the fight. We started this, and now we're gonna finish it too. There ain't no getting off this train we're on until we get to the end of the line," said Barret, grimly, and then he ran off and followed Cloud.

Tifa stood still on the spot, and glanced silently back for a few seconds at the gloomy remains of metal and rubble of what was now left of Sector 7, the same place that had once been her home for the last few years, and so many memories of the place had occupied her mind, and now the whole sector was gone for good, completely destroyed along with the people that she had so often served drinks to, in her now crushed bar.

Her head bowed in sorrow, Tifa gave one last and final glance to the ruins of Sector 7, and then without another look back, she then quickly ran off and followed Cloud and Barret along the ruined and cracked road to Sector 5. She knew what Barret said was right; there would be no turning back now.

Barret and Tifa were soon both rushing along the ruined cracked roads that made up the path to the Slums of Sector 5, where Aeris' house was, and that was where Cloud was heading to first, and no doubt where Aeris had also taken Marlene as well. Barret and Tifa quickly caught up with Cloud, as Barret stopped Cloud in his tracks, placing a firm hand on his shoulder and forcing him to halt at once. Tifa stopped and stood with them, as Barret let go of Cloud's shoulder.

"Cloud, don't you dare think about leaving the both of us behind, we're in this whole thing too, you know! The three of us are still AVALANCHE, and I'm still the leader here, and you're the hired mercenary, so I'm ordering you to do something for me first, before we decide on what to do next. I want ya to just take me over to where Marlene is right now!" ordered Barret, sharply, getting very impatient to see whether his daughter was really alright or not. Cloud nodded in acceptance at Barret's words, seeing as how he was intending to go there anyway.

"You're planning on going inside the Shinra Headquarters itself, to rescue Aeris from them, isn't that right, Cloud? Are you really that worried about her, that you would risk you life for her so much that you'd even walk right into the very building of our own worst enemies?" asked Tifa, anxiously.

"I know this sounds strange, since I've only known Aeris for a few days…but yeah, I am that worried about her, Tifa, and I do intend to rescue her from the Headquarters itself. As long as she's kept there in Shinra's custody, then she's in very grave danger, whatever they plan to do with her. But before I intend to go there to save her, there's something important I want to know first, something I really need to understand," said Cloud.

"What's that, Cloud?" asked Tifa, curiously.

"It's about the Ancients. Tseng claimed that Aeris was the last one alive, and to understand this whole situation, I'm going to need to find out for sure if it's really all true or not, and I have to find out all about the Ancients themselves if it really is," replied Cloud.

Suddenly, at that moment, Cloud remembered something that someone had said about the Ancients, as he thought back to what a certain man with a low, deep, cold, sinister voice (who he had not seen or heard from in years) had once said, on that fateful day five years ago…

_"In my own veins courses the very blood of the Ancients themselves!! And that means that I alone am one of the rightful heirs to rule this very Planet!!" said a man with a deep, sinister voice, and an evil, haunting look on his face, laughing insanely as flames surrounded and engulfed him, so intensely hot it was as though they were from Hell, but the man's twisted laugh was still more than enough to chill Cloud with fear, the laugh still going on ceaselessly, as though the flames were causing the man no harm whatsoever…_

Suddenly, Cloud then awoke from his thoughts with a startled jump, the memory of that moment vanishing from his mind, as it soon became far too much for him to bare, the memory of that very fateful time in his past, five years ago, still terrifying him to this very day.

"…S-Sephiroth…?" stammered Cloud, numbly, feeling very dazed, as he fell over onto the ground with a thud. Tifa and Barret quickly rushed to his side, startled by his sudden collapse, and not knowing the reason for it.

"Are you alright, Cloud? What's wrong?" asked Tifa, quickly kneeling down to his side, looking very concerned indeed.

"Come on you, get the damn hell up, and just pull yourself together, man!" said Barret, sharply, reaching down and pulling Cloud rather roughly and mercilessly to his feet.

Cloud slowly nodded in response, and after regaining his composure and his senses, Cloud quickly continued along the cracked and ruined road that led to the Slums of Sector 5, with Barret and Tifa both closely following him.

Meanwhile, in the President's office on the very top floor of the Shinra Headquarters, both President Shinra and Heidegger looked down from the big window in the room at the mere remains, and the large piles of metal and rubble of what was once Sector 7, both of them had satisfied smirks on their faces, certain that AVALANCHE was dealt with and finished for good, and that they had succeeding in dealing with that threat.

"I would say that the Turks have all done a very good job tonight, they've really outdone themselves this time. Just make sure that you pay them very well for this ultimate success and victory of ours that they have given to Shinra Incorporated, Heidegger," ordered President Shinra.

"As you wish, sir," replied Heidegger, with a salute.

"Good, and now that those filthy rebels are finally out of the way at last, let us begin the very next and last stage of the plan, Heidegger. Now that they have all been dealt with, I want to use AVALANCHE'S own terrorism against them, to report to the public that it was them who brought down and annihilated Sector 7, so that the public shall fully despise the mere memory of those dead scum. After we send that report, another one shall come later, telling the public how we have found and had AVALANCHE all executed, which will label Shinra as heroes in the eyes of the public, and gain complete trust of all those poor ignorant citizens," said President Shinra, with a snigger.

"Yes sir, it will all be done momentarily, without any fuss whatsoever! Shall we circulate the pictures of the rebel scum, to the public in these reports?" asked Heidegger. President Shinra shook his head in response.

"No, I think it would be far better to have the public think that we don't exactly know who all the members of AVALANCHE are, that we had no idea of their identities, until their very execution. This way, we can easily surprise any other enemies or threats to us when the time comes, and we will deal with them at once without warning, and then nobody can stop us," explained President Shinra. Heidegger laughed humourlessly.

"Ha, ha, ha! Yes, it is an ingenious plan indeed, Mr President, sir! I shall begin commencing with this plan and setting up these reports immediately, sir!" said Heidegger, saluting, and he walked off to carry out the President's orders, while President Shinra remained in his office, still staring out of his massive window.

"(Yes, it was a great victory that Shinra Incorporated have achieved tonight. The total destruction of AVALANCHE will mark the beginning of a new age of total dominance for Shinra, and no enemy or threat can ever hope to stop us. And with the Ancient girl finally in our grasp, it is truly a great day indeed for Shinra. Now with her here, our most important plan of all can finally begin…)" thought President Shinra, with an evil smirk.


	25. Legacy Of Aeris: Origins Of The Flower G...

**_Chapter 25_** **_True Origins Of The Flower Girl_**

Cloud, Tifa and Barret each continued their way across the ruined road, walking over to the Sector 5 Slums, walking along the path there as they quickly arrived at the Slums, and then walked through and past it to Aeris's house. They soon arrived at the house, and Cloud saw that it and the garden were still as beautiful as ever, but now he found that he didn't really care much about it, after all that had happened since the last time he had seen it.

Without a word, he went straight into the house through the front door, and Barret and Tifa hastily followed him inside there after a rather startled and amazed glance at the beautiful garden, neither of them having seen such a place in Midgar before, nor having expected there to be, but they remembered that there were far more important issues in hand, so they went inside at once, with some slight reluctance.

Elmyra Gainsborough was standing there alone in the middle of the living room that occupied almost the whole downstairs floor, her back to Cloud and the others, and her head bowed in a expression of what seemed to be sorrow. She had heard them come in, but she didn't have to turn around to know that it was Cloud standing behind her, as she spoke.

"Ah yes, it's the bodyguard who was supposed to protect my daughter, as I recall. Cloud Strife was your name, wasn't it, Mr 'Bodyguard'? You've come here to talk about Aeris, right?" asked Elmyra, in a rather cold tone of voice. Cloud was a little surprised to be expecting this sort of reaction so soon, but he did not retort, he felt he deserved it, as he had failed Aeris, and spoke up after a weary sigh, and a shake of his head.

"You've got every right to be mad for what's happened, but I just want you to understand that I am really sorry about what I'm about to tell you…Shinra Incorporated currently have her in their custody now. They captured her while I was busy fighting to save a Sector that was doomed all along. I couldn't do anything to protect her, not while I was so busy…" replied Cloud, his head bowed in sorrow. Elmyra's mood seemed to soften slightly, and she finally turned to face them.

"I already know that Shinra have finally got Aeris at last, Cloud…for you see, they took her from here. They took her right outside this house, and I could do nothing but watch her being taken," explained Elmyra, sorrowfully.

"They were HERE when they took her? They captured Aeris over here?" asked Cloud, surprised and rather taken aback by this, but now that he thought about it, it made a lot of sense that Shinra would be waiting for her here, outside her house, as it was one of the places she would obviously go to.

"Yes indeed, they took her from here, and they left here with Aeris without causing any fights or commotion in the process, she just went with them quietly instead. That's what Aeris wanted, and what she agreed with Shinra in return for going back to the Headquarters," replied Elmyra.

"But why are they doing this? I have noticed that Aeris has been capable of doing many strange and seemingly impossible things, but I still don't understand the exact reason why Shinra would want her in their procession so much, for all the years that she's been here. So just why is Shinra Incorporated after Aeris?" asked Cloud, curiously, puzzled.

"Before she reluctantly agreed to leave with Shinra, Aeris told me to explain to you about just what Aeris really is, about her full heritage, why she can do such amazing things, and about why Shinra are after her so much. So here goes…you see, the answer to all of this is because Aeris…is no mere human, but is instead an Ancient, which is also known as the race of the Cetra. She is the sole survivor, the very last," explained Elmyra.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa each stepped back from her slightly in sheer amazement, their eyes wide with shock and disbelief at what they had just heard a mere moment ago. Although highly shocked and stunned by what he was just told, Cloud finally understood everything. Aeris had all those unique powers and talents that he'd seen her do, because she was an Ancient, and one of the Cetra themselves.

The Ancients, or the Cetra, were a magical, unique race of beings who lived on the Planet many thousands and thousands of years ago, since the very birth of the Planet itself at the very beginning of time, and they had all watched over the Planet, dedicating their entire lives to preserving the Planet's health in all areas of the world, travelling and migrating in areas across the world to see to the Planet in each place, each of them spending their lives on a long endless journey for the sake of keeping the Planet live and healthy.

But after so many years of occupying and preserving the whole Planet, the Ancients had all tragically died out at least two thousand years ago, when an extremely powerful, evil alien being whom they managed to later defeat, attacked and aimed to wipe them all out to take the Planet for it's own, but only very few of the Ancients survived after the enemy's defeat.

But over time, the overall number of Ancients decreased rather than multiplied while the human race would become the dominant race in the meantime, and now it seemed that Aeris was the only Ancient that was still left in existence.

Cloud, along with the whole general public, had always thought and believed that the Ancients were long since extinct, that all of them were gone, which was why, along with their incredible history, that it was such a shock to hear that Aeris was an Ancient, despite all the things that he'd seen her do while travelling with her. Barret looked rather stumped.

"(This Aeris girl is one of those Ancients? What a damn shock…I can relate to how the Ancients fight for the Planet. But wait…how can Aeris be the last?)" thought Barret, as he spoke.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but exactly what the heck did you say just then? Aeris is really the last of the Ancients themselves, you told us, right? But how can that be right? I mean, ain't you…her mother or something? How can Aeris be the last if her mother is still alive?" asked Barret, surprised. Elmyra now looked troubled, but she answered them anyway, shaking her head.

"No, she is the very last one left, because her mother is now long since dead. You see…I'm not actually her real mother at all, it's a secret known only to Aeris and Shinra, and even the people around here have no idea about it. I'm just her adoptive mother, that's all, ever since the time I discovered Aeris alone in the train station," explained Elmyra, solemnly.

"Can you tell me about the time you found her? How you came to look after her?" asked Cloud, curiously, and both Barret and Tifa were also listening very intently, as Elmyra nodded in agreement, and began to tell them.

"It must have been about fifteen years ago when I first met Aeris now, and it had all started when my husband left for war. During the war between Wutai and Shinra, my husband was sent willingly to that far away place called Wutai, half way across the Planet from here. One day, I had went to the train station because I got a letter saying that he was coming home on leave. But my husband never came back. I had wondered if something had happened to him? No, I was sure that his leave was just cancelled, that's all. In constant hope of seeing him come, I always went to the train station, every day since. Then one day, instead of seeing my husband, I saw something quite unexpected indeed…something that was to change my entire life forever. At the station that day, I found a wounded and dying woman on the ground with a little girl beside her who was just seven years old, and who had to be this dying woman's own daughter. The little girl was none other than Aeris, and it was the very first time I met her," explained Elmyra, then she paused for a moment, and then continued.

"No one else but me took any notice of the woman that was dying there with her daughter beside her. This was because you used to see this sort of thing a lot during the war, but I was there for the woman as she began to pass on. She called herself Ifalna, and her last words had followed soon after that, which were, 'Please take my dear daughter, Aeris, somewhere safe, and keep her away from the evil ones, and care for her as I her mother would'. Then at that moment she died, and I had to comfort the little girl crying beside her, and that was when I started to seriously consider Ifalna's last words. The facts of it all were that my husband had never came back, and I had no child to keep my company. And Aeris had no mother now, and no one else to look after her at all, I knew she would need to be cared for. I could not deny to myself that I was lonely, so I decided to follow the woman's last request, and I took Aeris home with me, and adopted her as my own daughter," explained Elmyra, remembering the whole situation in her mind as she told it to Cloud and the others, who were all still intently listening as she continued.

"Aeris and I soon became very close, very quickly. She soon became the source of the greatest happiness that I had in life, and I almost at once grew to love her as though she were my own daughter. Aeris had always loved talking to others, both as a little girl and when she grew older too, she was always a fascinating and endearing child. She always used to talk to me about everything she could think of, and that was a good deal of things indeed, despite her age. And it was always a joy to talk to her as well, I had never met anyone whose company I had truly enjoyed more than hers. She had told me that she and her mother had managed to escape from some kind of Shinra research laboratory in their Headquarters, before they made it down to the Slums, though her mother had been shot in the process of the escape. But she said to me that her mother had returned to the Planet so she wasn't lonely or sad about her death at all, and told many other things," explained Elmyra.

"Her mother…returned to the Planet? She returned to the Planet after her death? Just what the hell did Aeris mean by that, ma'am?" asked Barret, looking rather confused and bewildered, a feeling that Cloud and Tifa also shared on the subject. Even Elmyra looked puzzled as she continued.

"I really didn't know what she meant about that either, not even to this day. Back then, I had asked her if she meant a star in the sky, or some faraway Planet that the dead might go to in a possible afterlife. But she insisted to me that it was this very Planet that her mother's spirit and soul had returned to after her death, and I could tell that Aeris truly did know what she was talking about. She was a very mysterious and peculiar child in many ways, but I never made any issue of it to her, not wanting to worry Aeris about it, though I always kept wondering about it to myself. Then one day, she said to me…" began Elmyra.

_"Mom…please don't cry once I tell you this, but I feel as though I must. Someone very dear to your heart has just died a moment ago. He had been trying so hard to return home, and after his death, his spirit was coming to see you, but he has already returned to the Planet by now," said Aeris, in a moment years ago, her head bowed rather sadly._

"At that time, I just didn't believe her. I knew whom Aeris was talking about, but I refused to pay her words any mind. But then only a few days later, we received a notice saying that my husband had died in battle, and that's how it was, there were no other details to it than that. I was very devastated at first, but then I had eventually gotten over it, realising that Aeris had gotten on fine without her mother, and she was just a child, so I decided that I should get on without my husband too for her sake, and the both of us agreed to look out for each other from now on, to keep ourselves company to cope with the pain of those we had lost. Afterwards, me and Aeris were happy with our lives, until one day, when Shinra Incorporated, the evil ones as Ifalna had called them, finally arrived for her, to take her back in their capture," explained Elmyra.

Elmyra's mind flashed back to a memory in the past while she continued to explain it to Cloud and the others. The memory had taken place inside her house, and Tseng, in only his teenage years by this time, had just entered to speak to her and Aeris, who stood before him…

_"Mrs Gainsborough, we would like Aeris to return to us, and would fully appreciate it if you allowed us to take her back to our Headquarters. You see, we have been searching for her, for a very long time, and now that we have found her location, we would ask now for her return," said Tseng, in a polite and pleasant tone of voice, but Aeris glared hard at him._

_"No, I won't come along with anyone of you bad Shinra people, I'm not letting you do the same thing you did to me and my mother again! I'll never come back with any of you, no matter what you say, I refuse to go!" shouted Aeris, shrilly, but Tseng kept calm, and smiled kindly down at her._

_"Aeris, you and I know both that you are a very special and unique child. After all, you are the very last Ancient left in existence now, and are quite valuable to Shinra as a result. You are of special blood, Aeris…the very blood of the Cetra courses through your veins. As we know, your real mother was an Ancient, which means you are also an Ancient by bloodline. Any living person from the race of the Cetra, the Ancients, will be able to lead us all to a great land of supreme happiness and everlasting life. Because of being able to find this land, Aeris will bring happiness to all the people in the Slums, and in the whole of Midgar, and even the entire Planet itself. That is why Shinra Incorporated would like to have Aeris's co-operation in having her return to us, so we can help her find this land, the Promised Land, of all our legends, that Shinra believe really truly does exist on this Planet," explained Tseng, calmly._

_ And at that moment, Elmyra finally knew the full reasons about why Aeris could do all the things that she could do, about how she seemed to have a strange way with the Planet, and the firm knowledge of its cycles of nature, and how exactly it all worked. She also understood now about why Shinra were so interested in having her, and knew that Aeris would indeed be in great danger if Shinra got her, and knew she had to prevent it, no matter what the cost. Elmyra stood shocked and stunned on the spot, while Aeris continued to protest at Tseng._

_"Don't listen to him, Mom, he's wrong about all of that! I'm not an Ancient at all! I'm not, and I can't do any of the things he says I could do!" shouted Aeris. But Elmyra knew at once that his was a big lie; Aeris was an Ancient, and Aeris only lied about her heritage now because it was clear that she never wanted to go back with Shinra, no matter what the reason._

_But to Elmyra's surprise though, Tseng didn't get angry or annoyed with Aeris at all; in fact he had still seemed surprisingly friendly with her, as though he was taking a fond liking to her in some way, as he spoke softly to Aeris._

_ "But Aeris, you can't honestly tell me that you believe all of that, you know that you are an Ancient, and that you alone can find the Promised Land. You are an Ancient, after all, you surely must be able to hear voices in the air sometimes when you're by yourself? You alone can hear the very voice of the Planet, don't you?" asked Tseng, gently and patiently. Aeris wildly shook her head in response._

_ "No, I don't hear anything like that, not at all!" snapped Aeris, and she quickly rushed upstairs and out of the room in a hurry, slamming the door of her bedroom hard behind her. Very concerned by Aeris' reaction to this whole situation, she turned back to face Tseng, knowing what answer she had._

_ "Judging by the way my daughter seems to act around you and Shinra, it would seem that the very last thing she wants to do is to get involved with any of you. So my answer to you is NO, you will never have Aeris," said Elmyra, sternly._

_"You both will learn to regret this refusal to co-operate with us, I assure you of that…" said Tseng, with a dark scowl, and without another word he stormed out the front door, slamming it shut behind him. _

_Tseng didn't go after Aeris this time, and he simply went back to Shinra Headquarters empty-handed, while Aeris hid in her room, shaking fearfully while Elmyra comforted her as best she could. Her mind flashed back to the present, as she finished explaining to Cloud and the others._

"But I knew all about her mysterious powers and abilities that she was capable of, so I knew without any doubt that Tseng had been telling the truth, that she really was an Ancient, and that was why she could do it all. Though she couldn't help but fail, she still tried so hard to hide her powers, so I just acted as if I had never noticed for her sake. But from that moment on, I began secretly researching through books when Aeris didn't notice, books about the Ancients, the Cetra. I learned that the Ancients were once the dominant race of the Planet thousands of years ago, and that they spent their lives keeping the Planet in good health, and they used very unique and strange powers to accomplish this, that they had obtained right from their very birth, before all of them eventually died out. But I knew there was still one left, and that was Aeris. I fully understood now everything that she could do, and sometimes I would overhear her speaking aloud in her room, as though to a voice that I couldn't hear myself, but maybe only she could. Maybe she was speaking to the Planet then, it would have been possible given that she is an Ancient. And the Ancients would always speak to the Planet in order to help it. With those sort of capabilities, I knew Shinra would always hunt her for them, and that such a special girl had to be kept safe from them," explained Elmyra.

"It's simply beyond amazing how on earth she's somehow managed to avoid being captured by Shinra Incorporated and the Turks for all these years, since they first came for her when she was a child," said Cloud, thoughtfully, but he was also filled with pity and respect for Aeris at the same time, as he now finally understood everything about her.

"(Now it all makes sense. The strange and bizarre things that Aeris could do, like plant flowers in the Slums of Midgar, heal people from the brink of death, seal people's movements, levitate objects, and perform magic with a high amount of skill and power…it's all because she's an Ancient. And since she is an Ancient, she has a way of communicating to the Planet itself as well, which must be why she knows all about how the cycle of nature is working. Being an Ancient, she must also know how to find this 'Promised Land' that Shinra is searching for, whatever it is, and for whatever reason. That's why they're after her so badly…to make her help them find it…)" thought Cloud, while Elmyra nodded and spoke up.

"Shinra Incorporated needed her alive and well for their plans of finding the Promised Land to work out. So I guess that when the Turks kept trying to get her, they couldn't harm her at any cost at all. And Aeris wouldn't ever co-operate with them whenever they came, even if it meant getting herself hurt in the process of escaping them, again and again. That made Shinra's job a lot harder to carry out, and if things had gone on like this, Aeris would have kept evading their capture. But a lot of things seemed to have happened and changed recently, in these dark and troubling times," explained Elmyra.

"But just why did it happen now, then? Why did she have to get captured right now, of all times? What went wrong that caused Shinra Incorporated to finally take her in at last?" asked Tifa, curiously, though she suspected she already knew the cause of why it had happened, and she felt a sinking feeling of guilt in her stomach as the thought of it occurred to her.

"The reason why Shinra Incorporated finally captured her at last is because she brought a little girl over here with her, saying that she'd been asked to take her out of Sector 7. They were on their way here but when they were just outside this house, Tseng found and ambushed them here, and there was nothing that Aeris could do to get the little girl away fast enough along with her to escape, since Tseng quickly grabbed the little girl, and Aeris had no choice but to stop trying to run away. So Aeris made an agreement with Tseng, deciding that she would go over to the Shinra Headquarters quietly, in exchange for the little girl's safety," explained Elmyra. Tifa looked aghast.

"(It's just as I feared…this means it's all my fault that this finally happened, I should have been the one to take Marlene to safety, not Aeris, then she wouldn't have been taken by Shinra at all. And I agreed for her to get involved in the situation with Corneo, which means I got her caught up in all this mess…and now Aeris is held in Shinra's custody because I was too foolish to think for her safety,)" thought Tifa, guiltily.

"It must have been Marlene who Aeris had brought along over to here, it couldn't have been anyone else…" said Cloud, thoughtfully. Barret's eyes widened in stunned surprise, and an expression of sorrow and unmistakeable guilt appeared on his black-skinned face.

"MARLENE…!? Aeris was finally caught by those damn Shinra after all these years just because Marlene was there with her!? Shit, this is all my fault, Marlene's meant to be my whole responsibility, not nobody else's…I just dunno what to say. I'm sorry about all this…Marlene is my daughter, and I apologize for her being the cause of Aeris' capture. I'm really, really sorry…" said Barret, feeling guilty and miserable. Elmyra looked stunned as she heard this, before a stern frown appeared on her face.

"YOU are the father of that little girl, who Aeris had to take to safety!? How in the world could you ever leave a child alone like that, when you knew she was in danger there!?" snapped Elmyra, angrily. Barret only sighed wearily, shaking his head.

"Please don't start with all that, don't go on thinking that I don't care about Marlene, because I do more than anything else combined. I think about Marlene all the time, there ain't a minute that goes by that I wonder what would happen to Marlene if I was gone. But you gotta understand something here, and that's the fact that I just don't have a choice. I always want to be with Marlene to take good care of her, but I have to take up the fight against Shinra. Because if I don't do it, then the whole Planet's gonna die, and Shinra's gonna destroy all what remains of it, and then Marlene won't have any future for herself at all. So with that in mind, I'm gonna go keep on fighting against Shinra, for both the Planet and Marlene's future, even if it means sacrificing my own. But really, if there was a wish I could make, then it would be that I just want to be with Marlene in a healthier environment than this…always. So you see what I'm saying yet? I think I'm just going in circles now by saying this, but in order to get Marlene out of danger, I'm fighting to stop the danger itself, that's the way I handle it," explained Barret. Elmyra nodded as he finished, and her hard expression softened as she heard his heartfelt explanation.

"Yes, I do think that I understand what you're trying to say, and I'm sorry if I seemed so unjust and hasty earlier. I'm sure you would like to know that your daughter, Marlene, is upstairs asleep, safe and sound. Why don't you go up there, and see her? I'm sure the both of you would like that above all else at this moment," said Elmyra.

Barret nodded firmly in agreement, clearly eager to see Marlene but also feeling guilty and sorrowful for what had happened with Aeris, as he apologized once more to Elmyra, and then he quickly rushed upstairs to see Marlene. After a few moments of deep thought, Cloud followed him up.

Cloud went slowly upstairs, and walked into one of the two bedrooms there, as he saw Barret crouched down in the middle of the room and hugging Marlene happily, tears of joy sliding down his face, and he seemed extremely relieved indeed.

"Oh Marlene, I'm just so, so glad that you're alright now, I really feared you were gone when that Plate went down, but you're alright, you're really alright…" said Barret, while he hugged Marlene, who chucked a little.

"Papa, please don't rub my face like that, your face hairs are tickling me," said Marlene, giggling.

In response to this, Barret grinned and only tickled her more playfully, and Marlene laughed gleefully as Barret tickled at her sides. His mind fully decided, Cloud decided to get going over to the Shinra Headquarters right now, to rescue Aeris from there once and for all. As he turned to leave the room and go down stairs though, Barret stood up and called out to him.

"Hey, Cloud, just wait up there for a moment! You're gonna go after Aeris to rescue her from the very Headquarters building itself, ain't ya now, huh?" asked Barret, curiously. Cloud nodded in response, and shrugged.

"Yeah, that's right, Barret. I'm going to go save her from Shinra now, after all the help that she's given me since the two of us met in the church, and I feel I owe it to her if I save her from that building," replied Cloud. Barret nodded grimly, and stepped forwards, looking determined.

"Then in that case, you've got my full help and assistance here, that's for damn sure. Aeris saved my precious daughter's life nobility, at the cost of her own freedom that she'd been fighting to keep for so long, and I owe her my life for that, for giving that up to keep Marlene safe, that was a great and brave thing she did just for my daughter, saving her life from both Sector 7's fall, and from the Turks. She's already done so much for me because of it, and the very least I owe her now is to get her out of those damn Shinra's clutches. So I'm going along with you too, to help rescue her from the Shinra Headquarters, no matter what I gotta do to achieve that," said Barret, with clear determination and resolve burning in his eyes. At that moment, Cloud was then rather surprised and startled to see Marlene walking up to him, her shyness seemingly forgotten.

"Hey Cloud, I thought you might like to know that on the way over to here, Aeris was asking me a lot of interested questions about you. You know, things like, what do you think Cloud's like? I bet she sure likes you, Cloud…" said Marlene, gleefully, giggling in amusement at the thought of it all.

Startled, Cloud jumped backwards in surprise and tension, avoiding her gaze as she continued to giggle uncontrollably. Just how on the Planet could a four year-old little girl be so bright and observant like Marlene Wallace was…?

"Well, uh, let's hope so, I-I mean no, I don't, or yes I do, no wait…" stammered Cloud, nervously, swallowing hard, feeling a strange feeling inside his chest at her words. Marlene burst out laughing at his awkward reaction.

"Oh don't get all so embarrassed about it now, Cloud, it's still obviously there. Oh, and by the way, I won't tell Tifa anything about this," whispered Marlene, with a grin.

"W-What about Tifa…?" asked Cloud, bewildered. Marlene merely sighed and shook her head.

"(Ah, poor Cloud, he still can't see the triangle going on with him, Tifa and Aeris. Even I can see it, but maybe he won't want to accept it, he's in denial,)" thought Marlene, amused and entertained at the thought of the triangle.

Marlene giggled to herself, and then sat back down on the bed, and she quickly lay down and fell asleep, with Barret watching over her quietly. Having regained his composure and shook the thoughts from his head, Cloud walked out of the room and went back downstairs. Tifa and Elmyra were both still standing there in the living room downstairs, both looking rather solemn and sorrowful.

"It's all my fault that this happened…it's my fault that Aeris has been captured by Shinra after she took so much time and effort to avoid them. I was the one who got Aeris involved in all this, I persuaded her to help me and Cloud in Don Corneo's mansion, and I asked her to bring Marlene back, it should have been me who did it," said Tifa, depressed, her head bowed.

"Please don't say that miss, it really isn't true at all, so try and ease your mind about this. I'm sure that Aeris doesn't think you're responsible for anything that's happened here at all. She just feels that it was her own decision, and that it was what she had to do. She's always been like that, being both stubborn and always helping others at the same time," said Elmyra, gently, and Tifa slowly nodded, and looked at Cloud as she noticed him walk towards the front door of the house.

"You're going to go after Aeris and save her from Shinra Incorporated, whatever it is that they have planned out for her, isn't that right, Cloud?" asked Tifa, curiously.

"Yeah, I'm going to go save her…" replied Cloud, shortly.

"Then I'm coming along with you too, and that's all there is to it. She's my friend, and I want to make sure that nothing bad happens to her because of me getting her involved in being captured by Shinra in the first place," said Tifa, firmly.

Cloud didn't object to what she was saying at all, he knew that he was really going to need all the help he could get when they broke into the very building of their great enemies, and he also knew that Tifa would not take 'no' for an answer, she would be coming along no matter what.

"Tifa, we're going right up to the top of the Plate to go directly inside the Shinra Headquarters itself, into the heart of our most deadly enemies, to save Aeris. So if you come along, then you had better just be prepared for the worst once we're inside the tower, there's a high chance that we might not ever make it back out of that place alive," warned Cloud, clearly very serious. Tifa nodded in agreement, looking determined.

"I know that we might not come back out there alive, but I want to go too nevertheless. I've only known Aeris for a short while now, but during that time, she has become a good friend of mine, and I want to help her to be free, as she deserves to be. Right now, I feel like I have to push myself to the edge of my limits, and far beyond. If I stayed here, I would just go crazy with anxiety and worry for Aeris…and for you," said Tifa.

Barret suddenly ran down the stairs in a quick and bounding rush of movement, and he walked towards them. He turned to face Elmyra, the sorry, guilty expression still on his face as he spoke to her.

"I'm real sorry about all this, but can you please take care of Marlene for a bit longer, while I'm off away to help Aeris and the Planet too?" asked Barret. Understanding his reasons, Elmyra nodded and smiled reassuringly.

"Yes, I don't mind taking care of her for now, she'll be no problem to look after at all, and since Aeris, I've been used to looking after another parent's daughter. I'll keep her with me, and make sure she's safe until you get back," replied Elmyra, gently. Barret smiled gratefully, but the look turned into one of concern and the utmost seriousness.

"All of Midgar has become dangerous after what happened to Sector 7. Shinra did it to one sector, they may do it to another to stop us, who knows. The both of you should go somewhere else now, somewhere where you're both safe from being crushed or wiped out. Get out of Midgar if possible, go to the town of Kalm nearby here," said Barret, grimly. Elmyra sighed and nodded, she was reluctant to leave her nice home, but she knew he was right, and would be getting ready to leave with Marlene to Kalm at once.

"However much I love my home, I must admit that you're absolutely right, Midgar has become dangerous now because of Shinra, and I should leave just in case. I'll move to an available house in the town of Kalm with Marlene soon, but no matter what happens, promise me now that you WILL come back to her some day. Don't get yourself killed, I mean it. Your daughter needs and longs for you to be safe," said Elmyra.

"(As much as I enjoyed and loved looking after Aeris and caring for her as if she were my own daughter, I could still tell that a part of her missed her real mother. And I don't want the same thing to happen to Marlene, I don't want her face the pain of losing her father,)" thought Elmyra, worriedly.

Barret nodded grimly in response to Elmyra's words, promising that he would return someday to see Marlene and her too, no matter what might happen against Shinra Incorporated, and then after vowing to come back safely, he turned to face Cloud and Tifa.

"Aeris has already done so much for me, you know. I really owe a lot to her, even if we haven't really met just yet. She saved Marlene's life at the cost of her own freedom. And if it's those Shinra assholes that you're dealing with, then I can't just sit back here while they think they've got the better of us! I'm coming too, I'll never give up the fight for the Planet's survival against them! But most importantly of all, I've got to go and save Aeris in return for her saving Marlene, no matter what the cost…except maybe the promise I just made. Wouldn't want Marlene and Elmyra to get upset about it. But I'll do whatever I can to help her," said Barret.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa all nodded to each other in agreement, their minds fully made up, and they quickly walked out Aeris' house, with Barret giving Elmyra a hasty wave, which Elmyra returned with a wide smile, before the front doors then closed, and Cloud and the others now stood outside the house before the beautiful garden.

"Now that we've found out everything we needed to know, and now that we're preparing go and save Aeris, I have just one question that's been bothering me. How on the Planet do we get inside the Shinra Headquarters itself? How are we planning to get into there in the first place?" asked Tifa, curiously, once they were outside and out of earshot.

"Well, thanks to the destruction of Sector 7, there ain't no more trains that go up there to the top of the Plate anymore, since all the train lines have been cut," said Barret, grimly.

"(With the damn Shinra destroying Sector 7, the part of the Plate that came down wrecked the train lines going up from the Slums to the Plate, so there's no way we can use the trains no more. What else we gonna do then…?)" wondered Barret.

"…Well if there's no trains to use anymore to get up to the top of the Plate where the Headquarters is, then in that case, let's head over to Wall Market first of all. It's supposed to be the one place in all the Slums where it's possible to find anything that you're looking for, so it would be the best place for us to start. If we're lucky, we might be able to find something over there that will take us to the top of the Plate," said Tifa.

Cloud nodded in agreement to this suggestion, seeing at once that it was the most logical method to use, and he then hurried quickly towards Wall Market in the Slums of Sector 6, with Barret and Tifa both hastily following him.

Their dangerous rescue mission to save Aeris had begun…


	26. Legacy Of Aeris: Golden Shiny Wire Of Ho...

**_Chapter 26_** **_A Golden Shiny Way Of Hope_**

Cloud, Barret and Tifa had quickly made their way along the ruined road, and to the path back to the playground, and then to the path beside that, until they arrived at Wall Market in Sector 6. While they were there, they each brought two Fire Materia, two Ice Materia, two Bolt Materia and two Restore Materia from the Materia shop, knowing that they should stock up on supplies to prepare for the struggle that would take place inside the Shinra Headquarters itself.

They also brought some improved wristbands with more slots of Materia fitted into it, from the weapons shop at the Wall Market. After they had each finished on stocking up for supplies that they would later need, they proceeded to try and find a way up to the Plate from the Slums, without the use of a train, and they were stumped as to how this might be possible.

"Well, goddamn it! How the hell are we supposed to be getting up to there anyways!? There ain't no damn available transportation to get up the Plate, and I don't see how else we can get up there at a distance of fifty metres above! We can't fly up there, and I don't think we can climb up there either. I don't buy that we could just climb a whole fifty metres up to the Plate without really wearing ourselves out. And with one hand, I could never manage a climb like that," snarled Barret, furiously.

"But we've still got to try and find a way, its no use just giving up now, is there? If there really is another way to get up to the Plate, then we'll find it, whatever it is. But where do we go in order to find out something like this, first?" wondered Cloud, thinking heavily to himself for a moment, and Barret and Tifa also thought more on the subject, until Tifa seemed to have an idea, as she led them to Don Corneo's mansion.

"(Yes, of course! The Don of the Slums would have had a secret way of getting up the Plate to Shinra Headquarters so he and Shinra could do business. And maybe we can use this secret transportation of the Don's to get up to the top of the Plate as well. I think it's the only chance we have of getting up there now, like Barret said, there's no way we'd be able to climb up as high as the Plate without killing ourselves and spending a lot of time doing it, in the process,)" thought Tifa, as she spoke up.

"Perhaps Corneo would know about other ways of getting up to the top of the Plate, if anyone in the Slums would know something like that, it would be him of all people, right? Corneo knew lots of secretive information about Shinra and Midgar that few other people know about. Maybe if we bust in the mansion and interrogate him again, he can tell us another way to get to the top of the Plate. And since all his cronies have already been dealt with, it will no trouble getting in this time," suggested Tifa, and Cloud nodded in agreement at the idea.

"Yeah, that sounds like a logical plan of action to carry out, so let's pay the Don another visit. And this time, we have to beware of any traps or tricks that he might spring on us like the last time. So keep that in mind while we find out the information we need from him. Let's get inside then," said Cloud, and he rushed over to the front doors of the Don's mansion, and threw them open with a loud thud, while Tifa and Barret both followed him inside.

Entering the main downstairs hall of the mansion, Cloud rushed up the stairs at once, and went inside the room in the middle of the upstairs floor, and from the room he entered, he rushed into the Don's bedroom, and burst into there, his sword ready for any commotion that might occur. But none came, and the room was completely quiet and empty other than the now ruined form of the bed that the Don had so often used for his own purposes. Don Corneo seemed to be long since gone, and without any trace to find.

"(Shinra must have already found out about him leaking information to me and Tifa when we were last in here with Aeris. If so, then they must have already taken him back to the Shinra Headquarters, arresting him for giving away their plan like that. Well if the Don isn't here to tell us anything, then maybe there's still a chance that at least one of his cronies is alive and can tell us instead,)" thought Cloud, as he rushed back out the room to the upstairs floor where Barret and Tifa both stood waiting for him.

"Corneo's gone, and there's just no sign of him around here at all, I think Shinra have taken him away for revealing that Sector 7 information to us, so we'll have to question one of his cronies in here instead, if there is one around here that's still alive," informed Cloud.

Barret and Tifa both nodded in agreement, but at that moment, they suddenly heard the sound of groaning and frantic shouts coming from the dungeon room, to the left of the Don's room. Cloud and the other immediately rushed down the long stone staircase of the dungeon to investigate the source of noise, and as they arrived in the room, they saw Kotch laying on the stone table in the middle of the room, shackled down to it, and frantically calling for help of release.

His shouts abruptly stopped as he noticed Cloud and the others, and his eyes widened in recognition and fear. Barret also recognized Kotch from the time he came in Tifa's bar at Sector 7, and he snarled menacingly at the frightened and helpless man as he stood over him.

"Well, if it ain't the dirty little shit who came into the bar a few days ago, knowing that the Sector he was visiting would be crushed later, and he didn't gave a damn about it. I warned you to stay out of my way in case I might run into ya someday and finish ya for good, and now I think I'll take that opportunity now," said Barret, harshly, as he aimed his gun-arm at the now screaming form of Kotch, and prepared to open fire.

"No, Barret, don't shoot him! Don't you see, this guy here can give us the information we need about how to get to the top of the Plate!" protested Tifa, quickly stepping out in front of Barret's gun-arm once again, before he could fire, and his hand slipped off the trigger at once, and he cursed angrily in sheer frustration.

"Damn it, Tifa, will you stop doing that all the time!? Keep at it, and some day I might not be able to stop this gun from firing in time, you know!?" shouted Barret, furiously, but Tifa merely shook her head and shrugged.

"Sure, I'll stop doing it as long as you stop being so hasty to shoot down people like this without a second thought to other consequences. Try behaving like that, and I don't see any reason why I should stop you like this again, do you?" said Tifa, coolly, and Barret cursed furiously to himself again.

"(Why she gotta be so stubborn anyways? Lowlifes like this guy, that Shinra manager, and most of all that rotten damn bastard of a President ain't worth nearly getting shot down for, but she's stopped me all the same,)" thought Barret.

"Damn it, Tifa…" began Barret, but Cloud sharply motioned for him to be quiet, as he stepped forwards and stood over Kotch, who had now stopped screaming and stared fearfully up at him, as Cloud then spoke.

"You, whoever you are, I want you to tell me how me and my friends here can get up to the top of the Plate, to get over to the Shinra Headquarters. Tell us how we can get up there, and I'll spare your life and maybe even let you escape here, but if you don't tell us anything, then I'll just have to put a big bloody hole right through your chest," said Cloud, menacingly, as he withdrew his sword from its metal locks at his back.

He readied his massive sword, and held it tightly in his hands, ready to plunge it right down into Kotch's chest if he refused to reveal anything to them at all. Kotch's eyes widened in terror, and he screamed in protest before Cloud could carry his threat out.

"Okay, okay, okay, I'll tell you how! I'll tell you how to get to the top of the Plate from here, other than using any trains to get up! The Don always kept a secret elevator behind this mansion built right into the side of the main centre Pillar of Midgar itself that would take him up to the top of the Plate where Shinra's Headquarters was. The elevator's got very limited access of course, so only the Don and some of his higher subordinates could use it. I was one of them though, so if I give you this security access card of mine, you should be able to get into that elevator with no problems at all," said Kotch, as he mentioned down at one of the pockets in his jeans.

Noticing this, Tifa searched through Kotch's pockets, and found the access card that gave them the use of this secret elevator that was built into the centre Pillar behind the mansion, and she tossed the card over to Cloud, who caught it and nodded, satisfied that they had now found their ticket to getting up to the top of the Plate.

"Alright, now that I've told you all how to get up there to the Shinra Headquarters, and given you a way to do it too, can you guys please just get me out of these chains and allow me to escape like we had agreed!" screamed Kotch, frantically. Cloud nodded in agreement, and freed him from the chains.

"Okay there, I've kept to our agreement too, so now I've helped you out here in exchange for you helping us. Sounds fair, right? Well then, you're free to go…" said Cloud, glancing pointedly at Tifa, who understood at once, and she swung her fist and slammed it hard into the back of Kotch's head, as he stood back up on his feet. Kotch let out a cry of surprise before he fell motionless to the floor of the dungeon with a thud. He'd been knocked out by Tifa's blow.

"…As soon as you regain consciousness," finished Cloud, and Tifa grinned over at him as she stepped over Kotch. Leaving the unconscious form of Kotch there on the floor, Cloud, Tifa and Barret quickly rushed out of the room, and then they soon left the Don's mansion.

Remembering what Kotch had said, Cloud and the others went around the mansion to the back of it, and once they were behind it, they walked over to the large centre Pillar support structure that held up all of Midgar in the very centre of it all, and they knew the Headquarters was directly above this main centre Pillar.

At once, the group spotted the elevator that Kotch had told them about, and it was indeed built into the side of the centre Pillar itself. Cloud walked over to it, and he slotted the security access card into a slot in the side of the elevator. The doors of it opened up at once, and Cloud pocketed the card before they stepped into the elevator, and the doors closed behind them.

Immediately, it began to rise up along the centre Pillar on its way to the very top of the Plate at where the Shinra Headquarters was, with Cloud and the others all safely inside it and preparing for the big struggle that was to come.

Meanwhile at that moment elsewhere, inside the Shinra Headquarters itself, on the 66th floor of the building, Tseng was leading Aeris over to the Science Department, as he had been ordered to do.

Aeris was still tightly handcuffed and Tseng was aiming his shotgun right at her, so she couldn't escape, and didn't bother to try, knowing she couldn't possibly get out of the Shinra building alone safely, with all the intense security around the whole place.

But although she felt extremely nervous indeed, and even perhaps afraid, Aeris still kept herself calm and not panicking, as she turned to face Tseng while they continued to walk their way along the 66th floor of the building.

"Even if I myself am in a very bad situation here at the moment, and even though I'm being effectively held captive here against my will at last, I am at least glad that you kept your word, Tseng. Despite all that's happened between us, and to our friendship over the years since we first met so long ago now, it's a comfort to know that your work with Shinra and your grudges against me haven't yet caused you to go against me entirely. I'm glad that you stuck to our agreement and kept Marlene safe from harm," said Aeris, quietly.

"A lot of troubling things may have happened between us during the years we've known each other, and I may have some dirty work still to do in my job as the leader of the Turks, Aeris, but I will always stick to my word when I have made an final agreement with someone, even with a foe or someone like you, who simply shut me out when I had tried to help comfort you," replied Tseng, coldly. Aeris bowed her head in shame, knowing what he meant, and sighed wearily.

"I know you only tried to help me get over my feelings for Zack when he was gone, but that night five years ago when you tried to comfort me, what happened that night was a mistake, Tseng. I regretted it afterwards, and I said so then. I know that you had feelings for me, but you have to understand that it just never would have worked out. First of all, you're about ten or fifteen years older than me, and more importantly, you're the leader of the Turks, you were leading the mission to capture me for Shinra in the first place. If you always kept allowing me to escape like you did, then your job and even your life would have been under severe threat from them, and I couldn't allow that, not at any cost. The day after that night, I'd realized what might happen, and I did the only thing I felt was right for the both of us. But I could tell at once that you really didn't agree with me, you never accepted my decision. Our friendship began to break and drift further and further apart, and that along with Zack still not coming back just made that time difficult and heartbreaking for me. I never meant to hurt you," said Aeris, solemnly.

"But nevertheless, you still did. And as I recall, Zack was also with Shinra, was he not? Yes, he was a first-class SOLDIER working for Shinra, and you never seemed to find the fact that he was risking his own life for you by using tricks against the Shinra to make sure they found it much harder to catch you, without them even realizing it. Yet you never once told him that you and he had to go separate ways, for him to avoid trouble with them," said Tseng, sourly.

"That's because I loved Zack, Tseng, and I just didn't want to part ways from him at all, regardless of Shinra, we both were willing to take that risk. Maybe it was selfish on my part, I admit that now, but it hardly matters, does it? He still left by himself anyway, without a word…" said Aeris, with a sad sigh of sorrow and regret.

"Your decision that day did teach me one thing, Aeris, one fact that I learned, never forgot, and always followed all the time since then. And that was never to let any kind of feelings get in the way of my line of work ever again, to efficiently carry out my missions from now on without ever letting my thoughts or opinions stop me, like they did with you. I will always stick to this lesson, and never allow myself to get hurt again by the likes of you. And finally, I have caught you at least, and laid those past demons to rest," said Tseng, with a dark smirk. Aeris was rather downcast at his words, she fully blamed herself for the way he was now, and instead she changed the subject.

"And now because of all that, just because of that grudge you've had against me since then, you're going to just hand me back to him as a means a revenge against me, aren't you? This isn't really about finally completing your job, Tseng, and you know it. You just want to prove to me and to yourself that you're able to capture me without letting your feelings get in the way, right? You want to prove that you really can follow this method of yours once and for all, even if it means giving me back to the likes of Professor Hojo. So you're still taking me over to him no matter what I say, aren't you?" said Aeris, nervously.

"Yes, I'm afraid I am going to indeed, Aeris, but that's just the way that these things work out when you're a Turk," said Tseng, shortly, and he meant it too, but he kept walking to the Shinra Science Department along with her nevertheless, not once questioning his mission as a Turk.

Shortly afterwards, they had both arrived at the Science Department itself, the main laboratories of the Shinra building, where Professor Hojo himself, the head of Shinra's Science Department, and perhaps the most evil, feared, twisted and hateful person in Shinra to all those who knew him, was waiting there for them.

It was him in particular who had sent constant and strict orders to the Turks to capture Aeris, for fifteen whole years, he was responsible for all the fear and suffering that she had endured from it. He smiled cruelly when he saw Aeris, as she and Tseng came into sight and stood before him.

Aeris shivered slightly as she saw him for the first time such she had first escaped the building with her real mother, long ago. She was not afraid of Hojo himself, but of what Hojo might just do to her in his strange, horrible experiments, which would have frightened anyone to insanity, given their traumatic reputation alone.

As both an important job and a rather nasty hobby, Hojo regularly experimented on animals and even on humans that were often enemies that had been taken in Shinra's capture and given to Hojo as punishment, and the Professor took delight in torturing them all with hideous cruelty, and he even took an interest in changing them into hideous monsters by mucking around with their DNA and cells, and giving them a rather large overdose of Mako energy and something called Jenova cells.

Hojo wore a white lab coat, grey lab jeans, black shoes, and silver sunglasses. He had black hair with a ponytail, and he had worked for Shinra for around thirty years, and was almost reaching old age, since his face had many wrinkled lines in it, and his physical strength was extremely puny and weak now.

Hojo was the head of the Shinra Science Department. As a result of this, he was one of the higher upper-class executives at Shinra Incorporated, and he did a lot of very strange, gruesome experiments for them as well, which he was only too happy to carry out.

Professor Hojo himself was a very strange and very creepy man that unnerved and frightened his inferiors just by the evil look in his eyes despite his rather weak body, but he was also very intelligent and sharp-minded, heartlessly so, and his clear insanity seemed to make a lot of people nervous. Basically, the only things that Hojo appeared to care about on the whole Planet were to do with his experiments and science, everything else was completely meaningless to him, even other lives and their consequences.

"Here is the last Ancient, Professor Hojo, in your custody for your experiments at last, just as you had requested. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to," said Tseng, with a rather curt nod at Hojo, and after glancing at Aeris for a moment or two, he then walked out of the science labs without waiting for any answer from the Professor, who had barely took notice of him anyway. Hojo merely just stared hard and creepily at Aeris, before finally answering.

"It is nice to finally see you back here in my procession again after all this time that you spent thinking that you could fool yourself into ever escaping us…Ancient. It was only a matter of time before you would finally return here, my precious specimen," said Hojo.

Aeris frowned sharply at his words, but she avoided his unnerving gaze, it made her feel even more uncomfortable than being stared at by Don Corneo, and Hojo had a far more vicious and more sinister thing in mind than Corneo had done.

"My name is Aeris, not Ancient. And most of all, I am NOT your specimen or your procession in any sort of way at all," replied Aeris, sharply.

Hojo took no notice of her words whatsoever though, and completely ignored her, as though he thought Aeris was some kind of stupid mindless creature, and not a fellow human being (which was also what the Professor seemed to have thought of almost everyone else as well).

"Judging by reports that Shinra have received about you recently, Ancient, I can tell that you have met Cloud Strife in person, the terrorist rebel now dead and buried beneath all of Sector 7. I once knew him too, years ago now, when he was still with us. But that is none of your concern now. Just shut up and follow me, Ancient. The past and troubles of your dead little boyfriend are going to be the very least of your worries soon enough," said Hojo, nastily.

"(Ah, it is a pity that Cloud Strife had to get himself heavily involved with the likes of AVALANCHE and get crushed to death as a result, but no matter, the puppet shall not be needed by its master, the reunion will go on as planned, yes it shall all begin very soon, I can sense it. And so Cloud Strife is dead…this would certainly have been a big disappointment to 'Hailstone' Strife, if that poor fool were still alive now, that is. Like father, like son, both get themselves killed out of rebellion. Or is that really so…I wonder if this is the fate that 'Hailstone' saw for his son…?)" wondered Hojo, before he shook his head clear of his thoughts, and concentrated on the experiment at hand.

Aeris was even more annoyed by this words, but she said nothing, knowing that it would do her no good at all since Hojo would never really listen, as Hojo then shoved her into one of the experimental cages in the laboratory, and slammed the door behind her, locking it shut, and was now ready at last.

"Begin with the experiment at once," ordered Hojo, coldly.

His lab assistants all nodded in response, and got to work at once as they began to start the experiment, while Hojo laughed cruelly, and with absolutely no remorse at the sight of Aeris shaking nervously on the cage floor, lost and alone.

Having went back downstairs, Tseng had reached the 60th floor of the Shinra building, and entered his office, satisfied that the mission with Aeris had finally been completely dealt with, and was merely waiting for the report on it from the superiors, as well as waiting for more business to do, when Reeve burst into his office, looking rather furious.

"I thought that the President had requested for you to take a vacation, Reeve. And now more than ever, it certainly seems like you need it," said Tseng, raising his eyebrows.

"Never mind that, do you really think that I could just relax and take a rest with what was happening to Sector 7!? But I'm not here to complain with you about that, I'm here to seriously question one of your own judgements in that plan," said Reeve, rather harshly.

"Oh, and what's that?" questioned Tseng, calmly.

"Elena, of course! She's just came in my office constantly breaking down and looking sick, and that's because she's in a lot of distress due to that mission you forced her out on! How the hell could you force a mere rookie to take on so important a mission as the one at Sector 7!? How could you honestly have expected she would cope with something like this!?" snapped Reeve, angrily. Tseng sighed and shook his head wearily.

"Out of all the candidates that were gathered to be chosen for the Turks, she was the one of all of them who had showed the greater bravery and spirit, so naturally I merely felt that it was right to hire someone who would always give their all when working for Shinra. And her own personal vendetta against the rebel group AVALANCHE meant that she would come in a lot of use for the Sector 7 plan, and of course, she would always have agreed to it, since it gave her the opportunity of vengeance that she so desired to have," said Tseng, casually.

"That doesn't matter! She still wasn't ready for a mission of that high importance, and you know it! She's new to the Turks, very inexperienced, and if it must be said, rather naïve as well, so it was a huge mistake to send her to Sector 7. She told me that she had killed one of the rebels, a young girl, and that when it actually came down to her killing for the first time, she completely lost her composure! Also, before she was killed, it seems that this rebel attempted to convince her of Shinra's own wrongs and evils, and Elena's now completely confused and mixed up between her own hatred towards AVALANCHE, and by the distrusting things about Shinra that the rebel girl had told her, and who knows what that will lead to! She might even turn against us!" snapped Reeve, sharply.

"No, she will not, Reeve. I can assure that I will speak with her as soon as possible, and merely persuade and convince her that it is Shinra who are to be trusted, not the words of a filthy terrorist, and that what she did on the Pillar was justice, not any wrong deed. By the time I have spoken to her, she will be fully focused on her tasks as a Turk from now on, and will not suffer any such doubts again. And she will hold Shinra in high regard like the rest of the Turks, since it was we who gave her the chance of her own vengeance. She will co-operate, with proper persuasion from me, I know she will," said Tseng, confidently.

"Alright fine then, I'll leave it to you. Just make sure you convince her about this entirely, I don't want to see these sorts of mistakes made from you again, Tseng, or I will…" began Reeve, in a hard tone of voice, but Tseng interrupted him.

"You'll do what, Reeve? Report me to the President for making these sorts of decisions for Shinra's plans? Well, while you are undoubtedly one of my superiors, the order to send all of the Turks to Sector 7 was also ordered by Heidegger and the President too, so they will agree with my orders without any sort of complaint. And I know you can't do anything about it, or you'll face trouble from them yourself," said Tseng, coldly, and Reeve now looked flustered and sighed heavily.

"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right about that, so I've got no choice but to just let that issue drop. But you know something, Tseng, I'd personally say that your own line of work lately, particularly catching the last Ancient, has really gotten to you a lot, you're taking it all much so seriously and maybe even obsessively. It's you who needs a vacation, not me," said Reeve, as he walked out of Tseng's office.

"Just go and send Elena over here at once!" called Tseng, and he sat back at his desk calmly, not paying much attention to what Reeve had told him before leaving the office.

"(A Turk must take his work seriously, it's always the main rule of being one, especially when faced with the responsibility of leading all the other Turks. I must focus on it all entirely at all times, particularly at matters of importance such as AVALANCHE and Aeris. And as I spoke with those rebels a minute before the Plate fell down, there's no way they could have gotten out in time, so taking the work seriously has paid off well so far in the first place, like capturing Aeris too,)" thought Tseng, as he sat back calmly in his office, awaiting Elena's arrival there, and very confident that he could convince her to think well of Shinra. And yet Tseng felt a rather strange suspicion in his mind…that perhaps AVALANCHE may not be as dead as it seems…


	27. Shinra Inc: Climbing The Shina Building

Chapter 26 – Climbing The Shinra Building 

Meanwhile, Cloud, Barret, and Tifa stood just outside the front doors of the Shinra headquarters, ready and prepared to go in. Barret turned to face Cloud.

"Hey Cloud, you ought to know this building pretty well, so you should be useful to us here, right?" said Barret. 

Cloud shook his head.

"Not really. Now that I think about it, this is only the third time I've ever been to the headquarters. I have only ever been here twice, and both of them were years ago. Once to be informed of the results of the SOLDIER exam, and once more when I quit," replied Cloud.

"Well, its lucky for us then that Jessie had been fishing around about this place a month ago," said Barret.

"She did?" asked Cloud, curiously.

"Yeah, Jessie was an expert hacker. Thanks to her, we beat all the locks in the Reactors," explained Barret.

"Hey, I thought Biggs did all that," said Cloud. 

Barret shook his head.

"Nah, Jessie merely gave him the codes while she helped us lower down within the Reactor. Anyway, getting back to my point, Jessie and her other hacker friends within the network had been looking to embarrass the President with some sensitive files. Instead though, they had figured out the security of the place. After all, eventually I'm sure that we all would have attacked this place anyway, even if the plate hadn't crushed all of Sector 7 and…killed them…" explained Barret, with a sad tone at that last part, bowing his head.

"Interesting, so just what did her underground hackers find out, anyway?" asked Cloud. Barret raised an eyebrow.

"You just mentioned underground. How the hell do you know about that?" asked Barret, suspiciously.

"I am a mercenary, you know. Once, I was paid to infiltrate a cargo ship and I had a hacker help me around the security," explained Cloud.

"You're definitely full of surprises. Anyway, I've learned plenty about this place from Jessie. Every floor above the 60th floor is special and not easy to get to. That must be where they took Aeris. The security's pretty light now, so let's go," said Barret, running towards the front doors, but Tifa quickly stopped him, shaking her head.

"Wait a second! You're not going to just go right through the main entrance, are you?" asked Tifa.

"What else does it look like? I'm gonna kick some Shinra butt and…" began Barret, but Tifa interrupted him.

"That's not going to work! We have to find some other way," said Tifa, sharply.

"If we keep wasting time, Aeris will…" began Barret, irritably, but Tifa interrupted him again.

"I know that! But if we're caught here…hey Cloud, what do you think we should do? This is Shinra headquarters, so there's a great chance that they're going to be heavily guarding the place, so we need a quiet method to get inside. The first thing they're going to suspect is that people are going to attack from the front," said Tifa. 

Cloud had to disagree with her on this one.

"Actually Tifa, it's the LAST thing that they would expect. As you well know, we are the most wanted terrorists in the history of Midgar and the most likely chance is that Shinra are leaving us lots of nice quiet ways in and preparing ambushes for us. By charging in through the front they have no ground to surprise us, as we are surprising them, so let's bust in through the front," said Cloud. Barret clearly agreed.

"Yeah! That's more like it! Come on, let's get going!" shouted Barret. 

Cloud and Barret ran into the Shinra building, and with a weary sigh, seeing Cloud's point but uncertain all the same, Tifa followed them. There was a reception at the front door.

"Excuse me! If you don't have an appointment, you'll just have to…" began the receptionist, but Barret interrupted her. 

"Shut the hell up! We don't need an appointment! This is an emergency! Anyone who don't wanna get their faces smashed in had better get out of the way!" shouted Barret. 

People nearby stared at them.

"Who do they think they are?" asked one man.

"Y-You…you don't think that's…AVALANCHE?" asked another man, nervous and terrified. At that realisation, all the employers ran away, screaming in terror.

"Intruders! Seize them!" shouted a Shinra Soldier. 

Two Shinra Soldiers attacked Cloud, Tifa and Barret. Cloud raised his sword and slashed it through one of them, killing him in one blow. 

The other soldier quickly attacked and fired his machine gun at Cloud and at Barret, but both of them quickly managed to block the bullets using their own weapons to shield themselves from attack.

Barret attacked and fired his own gun at the soldier, many of his bullets flying through the air and shot the soldier, killing him instantly.

Five more Shinra soldiers came running down the stairs towards them, but before they could do anything to attack, Barret quickly aimed his gun-arm at them and fired, many bullets hit all five of the soldiers and killed them all instantly.

Cloud quickly ran up the stairwell, where three Shinra soldiers stood waiting, their guns aimed at him. Without waiting for them to say a word of arrest, Cloud quickly jumped past one of the soldiers and slashed his sword through him, killing him instantly. 

The other soldier fired his gun at Cloud, but Cloud blocked the bullets with his sword, shielding himself from attack. Before the soldier could react or move aside, Cloud quickly slashed his sword through him, killing him instantly. Cloud turned towards the last soldier, who was shaking in horrified fear.

"P-Please d-don't kill me," said the soldier. 

Cloud could tell from the soldier's tone that he was really planning to fool Cloud into letting his guard down, so that he could shoot him. Well, Cloud wasn't buying it. The soldier was certainly not a convincing actor.

            "No mercy for those who abuse the Planet and attempt to corrupt it for their own twisted means," snarled Cloud, and slashed his sword through the soldier, killing him instantly.

Tifa, meanwhile, had advanced along the ground floor after noticing the elevators moving. Hitting the button she ducked to the side of the elevator and waited. 

As expected the doors opened and two Shinra soldiers dived out with their guns cocked and loaded. Jumping onto the back of one man, Tifa used her whole body weight as a weapon and pushed the man's face deep into the floor, crushing his skull and killing him instantly.

The shocked second guard pressed his gun forward and prepared to cuff Tifa, but she had other ideas. Jumping upwards she slammed the heel of her foot into the man's face as blood exploded all over it, and then Tifa jumped up and kicked him hard in the hard, smashing his skull and killing him instantly.

"Let's go to the top!" shouted Barret. 

They ran up some stairs and they entered an elevator. Cloud selected the 59th floor in the elevator and it started moving to that floor.

"What's wrong?" asked Tifa, concerned, seeing the regrettable expression on Cloud's face. Cloud sighed.

"I didn't want to start a ruckus until we saved Aeris. I should have known that it was impossible though. I guess we just aren't that lucky," said Cloud. At this, Barret suddenly laughed out loud, making Cloud jump.

"What is it? Knock it off. You're giving me the creeps. What are you laughing at anyway?" asked Cloud, surprised. Barret merely grinned.

"So there are times when even you fight for other people, huh? I'm impressed. I guess I was wrong about you all along," said Barret.

"Who cares if you're impressed?" snorted Cloud, coldly, turning away.

"I'm just saying that maybe I was wrong to distrust ya. Well…I'm not too good at saying this, but…I'm sorry. For a lot of things…" said Barret, holding out his hand in apology.

Slowly, Cloud nodded, turning back to face him, accepting his apology and was just about to shake his hand, when without warning, the elevator suddenly rocked.

Suddenly an alarm went off in the elevator, a red light was flashing and the elevator suddenly went up and down. Cloud, Barret and Tifa found it hard to keep their balance, but they only just managed it.

"What the!? Damn it! I don't care where, Cloud! Just stop the elevator!" shouted Barret. 

Cloud quickly pressed a button and the elevator stopped at the 15th floor. A robot called the Mighty Grunt suddenly attacked them. It was a human sized red robot. Cloud, Barret and Tifa quickly jumped out of the elevator and ran towards it.

Tifa quickly ran forward and attacked it, kicking and punching it hard with her fists and legs, knocking the Mighty Grunt to the floor.

Barret fired his gun-arm at the Mighty Grunt, and his all of his bullets hit the Mighty Grunt and completely destroyed its robotic shell, causing it to fall off in pieces.

Cloud attacked the Mighty Grunt with his sword, slashing through it and almost chopping it in half. The Mighty Grunt seemed very badly damaged and was about to explode, but it was still not quite destroyed.

Tifa suddenly charged at the Mighty Grunt, and kicked it extremely hard, sending it flying into a wall at the opposite end of the room and destroyed it. The Mighty Grunt exploded on impact, leaving a big hole in the wall.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa then got quickly back on the elevator, and Cloud then pressed the elevator button. The elevator stopped at the 22nd floor.

A Moth Slasher – a robot on a spiky wheel, attacked them. Cloud, Barret and Tifa got out the elevator towards it. Cloud raised his sword, and slashed the Moth Slasher with it, leaving a big mark in the Moth Slasher's armour and damaging it severely.

Barret then raised his gun-arm, and fired many bullets at the Moth Slasher, damaging it and weakening it severely with many holes in its armour. The Moth Slasher suddenly charged at Cloud and rammed hard into him, knocking him to the floor, but otherwise, not doing much.

Tifa then charged and attacked the Moth Slasher and hit it several times with her fists and legs, smashing the Moth Slasher to pieces and destroying it. 

They quickly got back in the elevator and Cloud pressed the button. The elevator stopped at the 44th floor.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa were attacked by another robot. This one was called the Hammer Blaster. It was a robot with no legs and it had a circle in place instead. 

Cloud, Barret and Tifa quickly got out of the elevator. The Hammer Blaster charged and rammed hard into Tifa, knocking her to the floor, but not doing much otherwise.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he ran up to the Hammer Blaster before it could even react, raised his sword, and quickly slashed the Hammer Blaster three times with very powerful blows from his sword, and in seconds, the Hammer Blaster was reduced to nothing more than a small pile of sliced nuts and bolts. 

They went back to the elevator and Cloud pressed the button. It stopped on the 51st floor.

A long eel-like creature called the Sword Dance attacked them. Cloud, Barret and Tifa quickly got out of the elevator. The Sword Dance quickly attacked Tifa, slapping her across her face with its tail, but Tifa took the blow with barely any injury.

Barret fired at the Sword Dance, many of his bullets hitting it and shooting holes through it and causing it to bleed badly. The Sword Dance shrieked and slapped Cloud with its tail, but Cloud also took the blow with barely any injury.

Tifa then attacked the Sword Dance and she kicked it hard with her fists and legs, killing it. Cloud, Barret and Tifa quickly got back in the elevator and they finally came to the 59th floor.

They got out the elevator and went to another elevator, which could take them to the 60th floor, as the other one could not. Three guards nearby suddenly spotted them.

"Kill the intruders!" shouted the guards, and they quickly attacked them.

One of the guards fired at Barret, twice. Barret managed to shield himself and block the bullets with his gun-arm, and fired at the soldier, killing him in one blow with many bullets.

Another guard fired his gun at Tifa, but she just managed to run aside behind a small pillar, so the bullets didn't hit her. Barret then fired his gun-arm at the guard and killed him in one blow with his bullets.

The last guard charged up to Cloud and hit him hard in the face, knocking Cloud to the floor but not doing much otherwise, but the soldier now had his gun aimed straight at Cloud's head, his hand about to pull the trigger.

The soldier was about to fire his gun at Cloud, when Tifa suddenly charged at the soldier and sent him flying hard into a wall with one kick. 

Barret then fired at the soldier and killed him easily with his bullets, every one of them hitting the guard and killing him.

On the floor, Cloud found and picked up the key card to the 60th floor, which the soldier must have dropped. He got back up, and they went in the elevator. Cloud quickly pushed the button to the 60th floor using the key card to operate it.

"I hope Aeris is alright," said Tifa, worried.

"This is the real thing. So don't let your guard down," warned Barret, very seriously.

"Yeah, we had better watch out, these guys could throw anything in our path to prevent us from reaching and freeing Aeris," said Cloud.

They soon came to the 60th floor and they walked out of the elevator. There were four guards behind some statues nearby so Cloud, Tifa and Barret quickly walked in an empty room without being noticed, and hid from them.

"Goddamn it, look at that! All those guards are running around! Damn it! Those bastards are gonna be a problem!" cursed Barret, angrily.

"Actually, I don't think that they will, look at the way they walk. Always in the same line and always watching exactly the same places before them," said Cloud.

"Exactly genius, which is why they will be a damn problem!" snapped Barret.

"Calm down, Barret. Look at what lies in front of them. Those statues must be at least seven feet in height and they must be about two feet wide. We can use them as cover and silently make our way past onto the stairwell on the east side of the room to the stairs," explained Cloud. 

Barret thought about it for a moment.

"Yeah…you know, that sounds like it could actually work! Alright then, you go first since you seem so confident about this plan," ordered Barret.

Cloud nodded, and pushed the door in front of him aside, carefully scanning the left side of his vision, he waited before the guards started moving. 

Watching the shadows of their movement, he walked on, making sure that his eyes were firmly on them all the time, as soon as one motioned to look at him, Cloud ducked behind a statue and patiently waited. 

Hearing footsteps, he once more advanced onto the central part of the room where a massive statue of President Shinra stood gleaming.

Standing behind this wide base he signalled to one of the cameras and he watched as Barret ran from the office and out into the open. Barret was going to be a problem. 

His muscular, bulky frame of a body meant that his movement could be quite slow, patiently Cloud signalled him forth when the movement began and quietly ordered him to stop at the next statue. 

They waited for a long five seconds, before Cloud signalled Barret on once more, evidently they had succeeded in crossing the room without being noticed.

Until suddenly, Barret tripped on a loose part of the carpet and tumbled into a statue. A loud noise echoed through the room, and Barret swiftly ducked behind the large statue of President Shinra with Cloud. 

Suddenly, they heard a guard shouting around the room.

"Halt! Whoever you are, come out now at once! You are under arrest by the order of President Shinra! Go get the Turks!" ordered a guard.

Another guard saluted before rushing off down the corridor and returning thirty seconds later with Tseng standing behind him. Tseng wasn't amused at this, and he seemed impatient and annoyed, his voice icy.

"What is the meaning of this? I was discussing an important guard deployment in Junon with Heidegger, before you clowns interrupted. Now what is the problem here, and it better be important, or else," asked Tseng, coldly.

"Sir, there was a loud noise on the other side of these statues, I believe that we have an intruder," informed the guard.

Tseng looked through the gap in the statues, and saw nothing, but air as Cloud and Barret quickly moved out of his sight, so they were not seen. 

Annoyed, Tseng took out his shotgun and shot the guard straight in the head, killing him instantly. The dead guard fell with a thud onto the floor, while the other guards trembled in fear. Tseng stared hard at them.

"What do you idiots get up to during your training? You hear a noise and suddenly, there are intruders? This is the 60th floor of the Shinra Tower. Our sensors would have detected intruders an age ago, so if you can't see an unfamiliar person, then don't believe that they are there. Disturb me again without having someone in custody and I will have you all executed," said Tseng, his voice icy and hard.

The men all shook violently with fear and clumsily saluted, Tseng, and then they returned to their posts, as Tseng walked back up the stairs to the floors above.

"Ha, these Shinra losers really don't know how to train their own guards, do they?" said Barret.

Cloud quietly chuckled.

"You're right there, Barret, still it makes things much easier for us," said Cloud, signalling to the camera. 

Tifa ran from the room and swiftly made her own way to the centre without any help. The group repeated their movements before entering the stairway to the next floor.

"Alright, we're gonna rock!" exclaimed Barret. 

Tifa shook her head.

"Just remember, Barret, we're here to rescue Aeris, not to attack every Shinra people we can find," said Tifa. 

Barret shook his fist angrily.

"Shit, Tifa! You think I don't know that? Now come on, let's investigate the upper levels," said Barret.

The group walked up the stairs, and when they arrived on floor 61, they found to their amazement that the stairs to the next floor are missing. 

Cloud, Barret and Tifa entered the 61st floor, and examined the area. The place seemed to be some kind of Shinra bar, yet the group gave a sigh of relief when they found no evidence of Turk activity. 

There weren't even any guards. Walking around, they knew it was best to avoid contact with anyone and quietly they made their way around. 

Without warning though, Cloud accidentally bumped into one of the Shinra employees. The man stared at them suspiciously, and with a chill in his stomach, Cloud felt certain that they had just blown it.

"What are you doing around here?" asked the man. 

Cloud, Barret and Tifa didn't answer him, preparing to run if there was any trouble.

"Oh, I see. So you all must be…what was it? Shinra Incorporated Repair Division!" said the man. 

Cloud and Barret almost gaped in shock at this response, but restrained themselves just in time, while Tifa restrained herself from sighing in relief. The employee continued to speak.

"Man, am I sure glad that you guys arrived here at last, this door was simply pushed open and it fell right from its hinges. You know, it looks like this whole building is starting to fall apart these days, I think. You ought to fix it right away and take a look at the other floors too," said the man, and he gave them the key card to the 62nd floor.

Hardly daring to believe their luck, Cloud, Barret and Tifa quickly went into an elevator, and they used it to go to the 62nd floor. As they arrived, they found themselves outside four large rooms that were contained types of books. 

Cloud, Barret and Tifa quickly made their way towards a smaller room and noticed a man standing by the door. The man, whose name was Hart, saw them and addressed them.

"Please, do not just stand there, very few people visit the mayor in his quarters these days, he would be most glad to see you," said Hart.

Cloud shrugged, and walked into the room, with Barret and Tifa following him. Cloud figured that if any non-Shinra executive had a key card to the higher floor, it would be the mayor.

Domino (the mayor of Midgar) was standing in the room. He was an elderly man, and he wore a light brown suit. He was rather short, even for his age. Noticing them, Domino turned around and faced them.

"And who might you all be? Ah yes…you all must be that terrorist group. I'm Domino, the mayor of Midgar, but Shinra runs everything in this city. All I do is just look at documents. You see, my only real purpose now is to keep a watchful eye on these documents. Me, the mayor, now no more than a librarian! But that is a matter that you lot do not need to concern yourselves with. As terrorists, I am guessing that you three wish to reach the upper levels. You want to get upstairs?" asked Domino. 

Cloud, Barret and Tifa silently nodded.

"Then I will help you. I have a key card here that gives access to any level up to floor 65. I'll let you have it if you can guess my password, get it on the first try, and I may even throw in an item as well," explained Domino. 

Cloud, Barret and Tifa nodded, and went outside the room, however, they were far less confident of their task.

"Guess his damn password! That could be any damn word within about two million!" roared Barret, angrily.

"I know the task, Barret, and I agree it's certainly not easy, however the chances are that the answer is something Midgar or even Shinra related, so that narrows the list down rapidly," explained Cloud.

"How much so?" asked Tifa, curiously.

"I can't say for sure, Tifa, but I would estimate about as far as one in 100,000. Still a long shot, though," said Cloud. 

Suddenly, Hart, standing by the door, slapped his forehead.

"Ah damn it, is that guy playing that stupid game with you now?" asked Hart, sounding as though he was used to this sort of thing. Barret was fuming with rage.

"Game!? You think we got in here for the sake of a goddamn game!?" snapped Barret, angrily.

"Yes, I thought as much. It seems like you need an answer from excessively long odds. What would you say if I could inform you people of a way of finding out the exact answer you need with ease?" said Hart.

Cloud raised an eyebrow.

"I'm listening," said Cloud.

"Good, but first of all though, I am going to have to accept some money for this help. After all, this is a terrorist action, is it not?" asked Hart.

Cloud shrugged and handed Hart four hundred Gil.

"Perfect, that is equal to a weekly salary. Okay, do you see these libraries? Well each one contains a certain category of documents that the Shinra occasionally use. The Mayor, as he has no doubt told you, has been instructed to keep a watchful eye over them, however he is quite sympathetic to a cause like yours and therefore secretly commits subversive actions against Shinra. Inside each library there is a document that is out of place, now every document has a number marked on them. Find the letter that matches this number and note it down. Repeat this method in all of the libraries, and you shall have yourselves the password. Figure all this out, and you shall receive your key card," explained Hart.

Cloud nodded, and he, Barret and Tifa walked off to the libraries. They entered the first library, entitled 'Shinra Urban Development Library'.

Inside, they began to look at the files, when Barret suddenly smashed his fist into a shelf and Cloud and Tifa walked to where he had shattered the wooden frame.

"Barret, just what the heck is the matter with you?" asked Cloud, bewildered.

"What's the matter with me!? Just look at this damn document!" snarled Barret, furiously.

Cloud picked up the thin sheet of paper on the floor, and saw that it was a map of the plate construction within sectors 5 to 8. Upon examining it, Cloud noticed many red crosses marked on the plate pillar of Sector 7. 

Cloud threw it to the ground in disgust.

"Appalling to think the entire thing was so thoroughly thought out, but that's even more reason to fight against them. Come on, let's find the letter," said Cloud. 

The group split up again across the libraries, and it was only a minute later that Tifa returned with the letter. There were four letters written on it.

"Well, the letters we have are 'N' 'I' 'K' and 'G'" said Tifa.

"NIKG? Somehow, I doubt that is his password, but it could be his hidden codeword. We'll have to figure out from these four letters what the answer is," said Cloud.

For minutes afterwards, Cloud, Barret and Tifa tried desperately to think of what the word might be, but they couldn't think of a single one.

Barret slammed his fist on the floor in anger.

"Damn it! Just who the heck does this old geezer think he is, anyway!? We ain't his damn servants and I certainly ain't some stinking jester!" yelled Barret, angrily.

Suddenly, at Barret's words, Cloud suddenly figured out the answer. Evidently, so did Tifa, as they grinned at each other. Cloud turned to face Barret.

"You know, Barret, sometimes you don't even know your own intellect," said Cloud.

"What?" said Barret, now clearly puzzled and confused.

"You just said you're not a jester, and they were entertainers centuries ago for a KING!" exclaimed Cloud. 

Barret slapped his forehead.

"Of course! It makes perfect sense, now let's go and get that damn key card!" said Barret.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa walked out of the library and entered the tiny office where Mayor Domino was still waiting, and he turned to face them once again.

"So, have you figured it out? Then tell me," said Domino. Cloud breathed slowly and replied.

"We think it's king," guessed Cloud, shrugging.

"King! Oh god, I love the sound of that! President Shinra sucks! I should be the king of Midgar! And you even got it right first time around, just goes to show that you cannot judge a book by its cover. Alright then, take this," said Domino.

Cloud caught the key card and the blue Materia that Domino flung towards him. As he examined the blue Materia, he noticed the word 'Elemental' engraved on it, and this intrigued him.

"Now, I bet you are curious, are you not? Curious as to why I decided to do all this for you," said Domino.

"You bet, we have no idea why you would help us," said Cloud, puzzled.

"And why should you? I publicly denounced you, did I not? The reason is because of Shinra, those bastards upstairs have been torturing me forever, so this should make us even!" declared Domino, with a laugh. 

Barret stepped forward.

"If you are being tortured by them, and you wanted us to sort them out for you, why did you publicly denounce us?" asked Barret, puzzled.

"You have no reason to believe this, but it is because I was forced to. I may be the Mayor, but who do people think of when asked who rules the city…no…who rules the entire world? President Shinra! Had I appeared and justified your actions, the people, and Shinra, would have denied me as a traitor and would have had me executed," explained Domino.

Barret nodded, understanding.

"You're right. I have no reason to believe you, but for some reason I do. Probably because of the way you've been treated, or the way you helped us. Either way, you can't let them know that it was you who helped us ascend the levels of this building, otherwise Shinra truly will execute you, slowly and painfully," warned Barret, seriously.

The warning caused Domino to gulp nervously, and the group left him alone to his devices, and ran out of the room. 

Heading into the elevator, Cloud slid the key card through the elevator reader and sure enough, the panels lit up as far as level 65. Hitting the panel, the elevator ascended and Cloud, Barret and Tifa used it to reach floor 65.

Stepping off the elevator, the group found themselves on a floor that appeared to be a main floor used by the many clerics of the Shinra organisation.

Ignoring the small rooms, the three of them noticed the large oval room that was in the centre of the 65th floor.

Sat behind a small desk in the centre was another Shinra guard and like many of the others, this guard had neglected his duty in order to snatch some sleep without permission.

Tifa slipped through the door on silent feet and crawled up behind the guard. Her hands clasped around his throat and her knee slammed into his chest, smashing his ribs while she crushed his throat. The guard gasped with pain and collapsed on the floor in a heap, dead.

Tifa signalled the all clear, and then she, Cloud and Barret examined the large room. 

Besides the desk, there was only one other thing in this room, and that was the huge scale model of Midgar.

Cloud noticed how well it had been crafted and he cursed at the thought of how much blood money these corrupt executives had spent in order for this thing to be constructed.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa, however, were clueless as to what they should do next to get the next key card.

"Well, this model is great and all, but what the hell do we do now?" asked Barret, sharply.

"I guess we had just better find the next key card," replied Cloud, shrugging.

"Yeah, but where do we start?" asked Tifa.

"That's a good question. There must be something about this floor though. If we investigate thoroughly enough perhaps we shall find some clues," said Cloud.

The group split up and headed to the numerous doors that were on this level. Each room contained chests, however many were locked. 

Frustration was the only emotion they felt, to get here and have Shinra toy with them by leaving these chests locked was unbelievable.

Soon though, the frustration lifted when Cloud got lucky and found a chest that was unlocked. Inside though, he found to his disappointment, just a few tiny metal pieces. He almost chucked them away, when Tifa stopped him.

"Cloud, these things could have some purpose to the key card. There's a way somehow, and we have to find it," said Tifa, determined.

Cloud nodded, and the group inspected the rooms once more before shaking their heads. However, they soon forgot about any frustrated thoughts when they saw the elevator light stop on floor 65. 

Diving through the nearest door they found themselves in the room with the Midgar model once again, carefully they ducked out of sight and listened as four guards stepped out of the elevator and onto the floor.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa were preparing themselves to fight, just in case the guards checked this room, and judging by the size of it, the chances of that happening were rather high. 

The guards were cocky and over-confident that there were no intruders, and enjoyed talking against their shift.

"Shit, why are we sent here to do jobs like this?" said one guard, irritably.

"How the hell should I know? But the President takes security way too seriously. I mean you'd have to be stupid to believe that there was anything of potential value on this floor," said the second guard.

"Amen to that! Word is that these intruders are AVALANCHE!" said the third guard.

All the four guards erupted into cruel, mocking laughter. Clearly, they believed that all the members of AVALANCHE had been killed and crushed by the Sector 7 plate. 

Biggs, Wedge, Jessie and thousands of innocent citizens had died because of it, but these guards were laughing with no remorse, but with amusement.

"Yes, perhaps we'll fight them with spatulas, and flip them over, and arrest them!" laughed a fourth guard, and they all laughed even louder.

Shaking in pure rage, Barret couldn't take it anymore, and erupted into all out fury, and before Cloud or Tifa could stop him, he rushed from the room.

"Don't you bastards DARE talk about all the dead civilians and my dead friends like that! I'll make all you Shinra assholes pay for their deaths!" roared Barret, furiously.

The guards were clearly shocked by Barret's sudden arrival, and tried desperately to fire their weapons, but Barret's gun-arm was spitting out bullets before they could get near the triggers of their guns. 

All four guards collapsed to the floor, dead, and Cloud, Barret and Tifa quickly dragged the bodies clear of where any cameras may catch sight of them by chance. Cloud was still angry by the guards' attitudes, but calmed himself down as best as he could.

"That may leave us with a problem, unless we can solve a way of gaining a card for ourselves we could soon find ourselves in jail," said Cloud. Tifa shook her head as she checked the dead guard's pockets.

"They don't have any key cards on them, looks like we'll have to go elsewhere," said Tifa.

As Cloud gazed upon the Midgar model in rage, he suddenly saw that every sector of the model had parts missing. 

Sector 5, he could understand as construction had never quite been finished there, but the other sectors? If this were accurate they would be filled in.

Cloud suddenly had an idea. Removing the pieces of metal that he had found in the chest, Cloud dropped them into the Sector 1 part of the model, and smiled as they snugly fit the gap. Suddenly the group heard the sound of something unlocking.

"Right, now let's go find the other pieces," said Cloud. 

The group ran into all the offices and found the missing pieces in sequence. 

After they placed the final Midgar part into the model, they heard the sound of yet another lock opening and this puzzled Cloud, Barret and Tifa.

"I thought we unlocked all of the chests, Cloud?" asked Tifa, curiously.

"I agree Tifa, I truly don't understand it myself. But we had best look there must be another locked chest or something nearby," said Cloud.

The group ran out of the room with the Midgar model and made their way around the back of it. Cloud noticed that another chest nearby, he opened it and was surprised to find a key card inside it. Retrieving it quickly, Cloud examined it and saw it gave access as far as level 66.

"Alright, we now have access to level 66. Let's go," said Cloud. Barret and Tifa nodded, and they all went into the elevator.

Using the key card, they were able to get up to the 66th floor, and they stepped out of the elevator onto the floor. All about them were offices where busy clerks gathered files for Shinra. There were far too many people around for the group to simply steal a key card.

Heading forward slowly, Cloud peered around a corner and to his surprise, saw what appeared to be President Shinra, leading some of his upper-level executives inside a big room.

"Did you see that, Cloud?" asked Tifa, surprised.

"Yes Tifa, I did. I recognised President Shinra and Heidegger," said Cloud. 

Barret slammed his fists together.

"We have gotta find out what they're talking about," said Barret, determined.

"We are going to need somewhere to safely eavesdrop to manage that, but where?" wondered Cloud.

"Come on guys, we'd better think fast!" said Barret.

The group puzzled over the problem, obviously they couldn't get inside the room and standing around outside would attract attention.

Focusing his vision above the room Cloud noticed a large pipe that served as ventilation. 

He smiled as he saw it pass over the toilets.

"Guys, follow me. I think I have an idea," said Cloud.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa quickly ran down the corridor towards the toilets. Cloud, Barret and Tifa arrived at the toilets. Hearing voices in the other room, they climbed up them and climbed into the ventilation pipe just above them.

They went to the next ventilation hole, and they looked down into the room below. 

It was a meeting room. 

President Shinra was in the room with Heidegger, Reeve, Scarlet, and an old, rather fat man from Shinra who was also an upper class executive.

The old man was very short; as he was the shortest of the Shinra upper executives, but he was so fat that he still outweighed them, and was easily wider than he was tall. 

He wore a light brown suit and he had some grey hair on his mostly baldhead. His name was Palmer and he was the head of the Space Department, which was odd, because Shinra hadn't paid any attention to space travel for about ten years. 

Cloud, Barret and Tifa watched in the vent.

"Wow! Now that's a lot of suits!" exclaimed Barret, quietly, so that the Shinra upper executives couldn't hear him. 

The meeting of the Shinra upper executives begun.

Reeve held a calculator in his hand, and kept removing the pencil he had from behind one ear to jot notes down on a pad of paper. It seemed that if he wasn't twirling his pencil, he was scratching at his goatee and muttering to himself.

Finally, he dropped his notepad onto the table, and spoke.

"I have the damage estimates for Sector 7. According to the figures, considering all the factories we set up and all the other investments, the damage cost is around ten billion Gil. And might I add, sir, that doesn't include urban planning, investments, insurance costs, possible lawsuits, compensation and employee benefits. The estimated cost to rebuild Sector 7 is…" began Reeve, but President Shinra interrupted him.

"We're not rebuilding," said President Shinra, sharply and flatly. Reeve stared at him in disbelief, as if he couldn't believe what he just had just heard.

"What?" said Reeve, stunned, dropping his calculator on the floor in surprise and disbelief.

"We're leaving Sector 7 as it is. And we're restarting the neo-Midgar project," said President Shinra.

Reeve quickly picked up his calculator from the floor, and he looked numbly back at President Shinra, still stunned and in clear disbelief.

"Then…what about the Ancients? Won't they affect the plan?" asked Reeve.

"They're no longer a problem. Not if the Science Department pull through. I have personally assigned Hojo to construct a specialist team of scientists to investigate this very matter. He assures me that success will not depend on the research, but on other factors. The Promised Land will soon be ours. I have already briefed Heidegger on what to do, however, we are going to need funds. I want you to raise the Mako rates by 15% in every area," said President Shinra. 

Palmer suddenly jumped about excitedly.

"Rate hike! Rate hike! And please include our space program in the budget! Don't forget to include it, and give it a raise, sir!" said Palmer, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Reeve and Scarlet will divide the extra income from the rate increase between them, and any other extra funds will be diverted to other areas," said President Shinra, sharply.

Palmer almost shrieked in disappointment.

"Oh, man!" moaned Palmer, and he sat back down again.

"Sir, are you really sure that this is such a good idea? If you raise the rates, the people will lose confidence in us. I mean, with the Sector 7 plate coming down and all, the people might grow to hate Shinra Incorporated," said Reeve.

"Oh, quite the opposite, Reeve. It will be perfectly alright. At any rate, those ignorant citizens won't lose confidence in us; they'll trust Shinra Incorporated even more. Those ignorant slobs won't hate us," said President Shinra.

"After all, don't forget that we're the ones who provided them and Sector 7 salvation from AVALANCHE!!" laughed Heidegger, ruthlessly.

When Barret heard this, he almost jumped from the vent in a murderous rage, ready to kill them all, but Cloud and Tifa quickly stopped him and held him back.

"That dirty bastard," growled Barret, angrily, but quietly, so the Shinra upper executives couldn't hear him.

Just then, Hojo came into the room, having done some experiments on Aeris, and he faced President Shinra on the other end of the table.

"Hojo, how's the girl? How's our little Ancient?" asked President Shinra, curiously.

"As a specimen, she is far inferior to her mother, Ifalna, but for now, I've calculated that the difference is only 18%. Better than I had hoped," replied Hojo.

Every single word that Hojo had ever said always sounded flat and forced, as though he was simply bored with everything around him.

"How long will the research take?" asked President Shinra, his expression and tone of voice showing no emotion.

"About 120 years. Perhaps even longer. It's probably impossible to finish in our lifetime, or the lifetime of the specimen too, for that matter. That's why we're thinking of breeding her with one of our long lasting specimens, then we could create a new life form that could withstand our research for a very, very long time," explained Hojo.

Everyone at the meeting stared at Hojo in disbelief, and they could not believe that the research would be that long.

President Shinra finally broke the shocked silence.

"What about the Promised Land? Won't this hinder our plans? You had best be sure that this research will not affect the plan, Hojo!" snapped President Shinra.

"That's exactly what I need to plan. I cannot be sure if the plan will be affected or not. The mother is strong and yet, has her weakness," said Hojo, and he laughed like mad and insanely.

Then Hojo stopped laughing. The president threw a binder straight across the table at the professor. Hojo grabbed the binder just before it could slide off the table and began to flip through it. 

Nodding, satisfied, he walked out of the room.

"That concludes our meeting. Scarlet, I will need a report by midnight about what new weaponry is required this month. Heidegger, prepare to inform the Turks and the soldiers about the plan. Reeve, design a plan of Neo-Midgar by tomorrow. Palmer, pull your men off the new space shuttle project," said President Shinra, standing up from his chair.

"But sir, this could be of major importance!" protested Palmer. President Shinra slammed his fist on the table.

"I have given you a direct command, now abide by it! Your team of experts can use their resources with the team working on new aircraft for the military alongside Heidegger's men," said President Shinra.

"Yes, sir," replied Palmer, saluting, but he was clearly disappointed.

They all got up and left the room. 

But Scarlet suddenly stopped, looked at the vent, and she almost spotted Cloud, Barret and Tifa in the vent, but they had moved out of sight just in time.

"Something stinks," muttered Scarlet, and she walked out of the room. 

Cloud, Barret and Tifa, luckily, were not even noticed.

"They were all talking about Aeris, back there, right?" asked Cloud, curiously.

"I don't know for sure. But I think we should follow them," replied Barret.

"I guess they probably had been talking about Aeris though," replied Tifa, with a shrug.

"Alright then, let's follow them," said Cloud.

"Or at least that screwball of a professor. I'll bet that he knows where Aeris is," said Tifa. 

Cloud and Barret nodded in agreement.

They went out the vent in the toilets and walked out of the toilet room and they went along the 66th floor. As they walked past the meeting room, they spotted Hojo. 

They saw him go up the stairs to the next floor. They quickly followed him to the 67th floor, and they watched him walk along the 67th floor. Cloud, Barret and Tifa stood near the stairs, all deep in thought.

"I remember him. That Hojo guy. He's in charge of Shinra's Science Department. He must be the one working on Aeris. Cloud, do you know him?" asked Barret.

"I don't know, this is the first time I've ever really seen him," replied Cloud, slowly, suddenly plagued by doubt.

"Cloud? Hey, what is it? We've got to keep moving, remember?" said Tifa, softly. 

Cloud slowly nodded. Barret looked troubled and grim.

"If Hojo really is working on Aeris, then she's in grave danger. From what I've heard about him, Hojo's a real sick psychopath," said Barret.

"So just what have you heard about him?" asked Tifa, curiously. Cloud listened intently too.

"He conducts all sorts of these strange damn experiments, mostly on humans. I've heard numerous stories about thieves and other Shinra prisoners disappearing without a trace after Hojo took them in," explained Barret.

"So? What's that got to do with Aeris?" asked Cloud.

"Well, Jessie and her hackers discovered that he turns them into soul-less, savage monsters, after torturing them mercilessly with his experiments," explained Barret. 

Cloud shook with rage, and his great desperation to save Aeris increased dramatically.

"Then we'd better find Aeris, right now!" said Cloud.

Cloud, Tifa and Barret quietly followed Hojo into the Science Department, hoping to find Aeris there.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, President Shinra was back in his room on his chair behind his huge desk on the 70th (and top) floor. Tseng silently walked into the room, and stood in front of President Shinra's desk.

"Yes, Tseng?" said President Shinra.

"Sir, Cloud Strife and the remaining members of AVALANCHE are in this building," informed Tseng. 

President Shinra stood up in surprise, but he simply remained calm as always, and did not doubt what Tseng had said. After all, Tseng was very loyal and rarely lied about these sort of things.

"How far have they gone up?" asked President Shinra, curiously. Tseng shrugged.

"We're not sure. They came in through the entrance and killed the guards there. They've managed to get some key cards and we've lost them," explained Tseng.

"Set guards on the first floor and by all the entrances to the lifts. They are the only ways off floor 60 and I don't want AVALANCHE to go down any further," ordered President Shinra.

"Understood, sir," replied Tseng, saluting.

"Oh, and Tseng…" began President Shinra.

"Yes, sir?" asked Tseng, curiously.

"I want them brought straight to me, alive, at all costs," said President Shinra.

"Yes, sir," said Tseng, saluting, and he walked out of the room, while President Shinra sat back down on his chair and smiled cruelly to himself.


	28. Shinra Inc: Jenova And The Specimen

Chapter 27 - Jenova And The Mysterious Specimen 

Meanwhile, in the Shinra Silence Labs, a few floors below from where the President was, Hojo was looking at a specimen in a cage, as if closely examining it. 

Cloud, Barret and Tifa quickly hid nearby behind some large wooden boxes, and watched him. A man wearing a white lab coat (not noticing Cloud or the others) walked up to Hojo, and Hojo turned around to face him.

"Is this today's specimen?" asked the lab assistant, curiously. 

Hojo nodded in response, looking strangely excited and anxious about something.

"Yes, by the order of the President, we are starting this experiment right away. Raise the specimen over to the upper level. Turn on the elevator for the specimens, and use it to send this specimen up there," ordered Hojo, sternly.

The lab assistant nodded and quickly left to carry out Hojo's orders, while Hojo himself spun back around, and looked closely at the specimen in the cage.

The mysterious specimen just simply glared angrily at him with its good eye, growling and snarling at him, and baring its razor-sharp, vicious teeth at him.

Hojo simply just shook his head wearily, and sighed.

"My precious specimen. Although you may not see it, this is all for the benefit of science. Life would be nothing without science. I'm sure you could appreciate that much," said Hojo, and then he quickly left the room.

With no one else in the lab, Cloud, Barret and Tifa got up, walked over and looked closely at the specimen in the cage, which was now lying down with its eyes closed and it was yawning sleepily.

The specimen looked like a young adult lion with bright red fur and it had a tail, which was the colour of fire, so much so that it looked like a flame. 

It had a scar right across its right eye, which meant that it could not see out of its right eye, and it stood on all fours and it appeared to be male. 

It also had a black 'XIII' tattoo on its right leg, and had razor sharp teeth and even sharper claws.

Tifa stared at the red, lion-like creature with a mixture of anxiety and pity.

"Precious specimen? Did he just say this creature is a specimen? Poor thing…Is this going to be used for a biological experiment?" asked Tifa.

Cloud shrugged and turned away, wondering if he should free the specimen, wondering it if would simply tear him to bits for doing so, and then Cloud suddenly spotted a large, dome shaped cage in the far corner of the room.

Cloud couldn't see the specimen inside because the cage was made of solid metal and there were no bars. 

There was only a small window on the front door of the cage. The window was lit up with a strange purple light inside the cage.

The specimen's name was written on the door and even its heartbeat could easily be heard like a hammer when Cloud stood near the cage. 

Feeling a sudden mixture of fear and anxiety, Cloud read the name on the cage.

"(Jenova…)" thought Cloud, in horror. 

He recognized that name from somewhere before…but where? He looked through the window and he saw something indescribable and horrifying.

It was a large, deformed monster unlike any monster ever imagined by anyone. It had no head, and it looked as though it had escaped from hell.

"Help me…free me…my child…" hissed Jenova. 

This in itself was impossible, because the thing was headless so Cloud couldn't tell the voice was coming from, but somehow, the voice sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

Then he realised with a shock it was the same voice that had spoken to his mind in the N0.1 Mako Reactor, and at Aeris's house in his sleep.

Cloud stepped back in fear and a loud, familiar beeping noise suddenly appeared in his head, giving him a pounding headache and making him stumble to the floor in agony. 

Then the beeping suddenly stopped in an instant, and the headache vanished once again.

Tifa and Barret quickly ran over to Cloud in concern. Cloud tried to get back up, but he was still dizzy so he stumbled and crashed into some wooden boxes.

Cloud slowly back got up after a while though, and he was still looking terrified and thoroughly shocked.

"J-Jenova…S-Sephiroth's…so…t-they've brought it here," gasped Cloud.

"Cloud, be strong!" shouted Tifa, rushing to his side in concern and kneeling beside him.

"Did you see it!?" asked Cloud, frantically, shaking.

"See what?" asked Barret, bewildered.

"It's moving…it's still alive?" gasped Cloud, his face white.

Barret looked through the window in the metal cage, and then he jumped backwards in shock, and looked back at Cloud, in surprise, frowning.

"Shit! Where the hell is its goddamn head!? Just how the heck can this thing even be alive anyway!? Come on, the whole thing's getting weird and freaky, let's just keep going," said Barret, although he was still thoroughly shocked, as he helped Cloud to his feet.

"Thanks…anyway…let's just go after Hojo. Is he upstairs?" asked Cloud, curiously, steadily regaining his composure.

"Yeah, we can use the elevator to get up there. Its much quicker than taking the stairs," said Tifa. 

Cloud nodded in agreement, and he immediately rushed over to the elevator, with Barret and Tifa quickly following him, each of them knowing that they were now very close to where Aeris was, and that the hardest part of the rescue mission was just about to begin.


	29. Shinra Inc: Rescuing Aeris From Experime...

Chapter 28 - Rescuing Aeris From Experiments 

They went to the floor above using the small elevator and they picked up a Poison Materia along the way. 

When they arrived at the upper floor of the Science Department, they found Hojo, who was looking at another cage and operating some controls. 

Aeris was in the cage, sobbing and shivering.

"Aeris!" shouted Cloud, alarmed. 

Aeris's eyes widened in surprise, and her face brightened with a delighted smile when she saw Cloud, and ran up to the wall of the cage.

Hojo turned away from the controls to face Cloud.

"Aeris? Oh…is that her name, then? What do you want?" asked Hojo, looking at Cloud sharply, his eyes narrowed.

"We're taking Aeris back," said Cloud, burning with resolve, as he unsheathed his massive sword in a flash.

"Outsiders," muttered Hojo.

"You should have noticed earlier, you…!" snarled Barret, angrily. Hojo sighed wearily.

"There are so many strange and peculiar things in this world. Life is such a complicated thing," said Hojo. 

"Shut up! We've come to free someone who doesn't belong in this place!" snapped Cloud.

"Ah…Cloud Strife. I'm glad to see that President Shinra and Tseng haven't gone mad after all. So…you were hiding in this building," said Hojo, thoughtfully.

"They both can't be much of a psychopath compared to you, Hojo," said Cloud, coldly.

Hojo took no notice at all, but a truly evil grin formed on his face as if a nasty thought had just struck him.

"I take it you saw Jenova downstairs…How nice, to have a reunion," said Hojo.

Cloud snarled as he and Barret both raised their weapons, ready to attack. Hojo didn't even flinch, staring back at them with icy calmness and strange confidence.

"Are you planning on killing me just like that? I don't think you should. I wouldn't if I were you. You see, all of this equipment here is extremely delicate. Without me, who would operate it? How would you be able to rescue your little friend?" asked Hojo, coolly and calmly.

"Ugh…" said Cloud, sensing sudden defeat, lowering his sword. Hojo laughed coldly, scornfully.

"That's right. I recommend that you think things out more logically before you make any rash moves. Now, bring in the specimen!" ordered Hojo, turning back to face his assistants, as calm and casual as though Cloud, Barret and Tifa weren't even there at all.

The lion-like creature they had seen in the floor below suddenly appeared inside the cage from the bottom of it, (using the elevator for the specimens) with Aeris, and it looked suddenly ready to attack and pounce on her.

"Cloud, help!" cried Aeris, running as far away as she could in the cage from the lion-like creature, which was snarling and baring its sharp, ferocious teeth.

"What do you think you're doing!?" asked Cloud, angrily, turning to face Hojo.

"Lending a helping hand to an endangered species. Both of them are on the brink of extinction. If I don't help, all these animals will disappear," said Hojo.

"Animal!? That's terrible! Aeris is a human being!" snapped Tifa, angrily.

"You're gonna pay for this, you bastard!" shouted Barret, also furious. 

Hojo remained unfazed by their comments and was still calm and casual about the whole situation.

"Barret! Can't you do anything to help Aeris?" asked Cloud, desperately, pointing to Aeris.

Aeris was running from the lion-like creature in the cage and she was trying to get away from it as much as possible, but since the cage wasn't practically large, this was quite a difficult thing to do, and the lion-like creature was therefore easily advancing on her.

"Alright! Step back! Step aside and let a pro like me show you how it's done!" shouted Barret, and raising his gum-arm, he aimed his gun-arm right at the door of the cage.

"No, don't! Stop it!" shouted Hojo, now suddenly alarmed and nervous, as he had immediately realised what Barret was just about to do.

Barret fired his gun-arm at the door and blasted the door into pieces in seconds with a stream of bullets. Bright white light and clouds of white smoke suddenly blinded the whole inside of the cage.

"No! What are you doing!? My precious specimens!" shouted Hojo, alarmed. He went close to the cage and peeked inside, trying to see what was going on.

This soon turned out to be a big mistake.

The white light vanished, and the lion-like creature suddenly lunged at Hojo, and leapt straight out of the cage. 

Hojo was knocked hard onto the floor with the lion-like creature right on top of him. Hojo screamed and shrieked in terror and agony as the lion-like creature began to attack him, slashing at his flesh with its razor-sharp claws.

"Now's our chance to get Aeris," said Cloud. 

Cloud quickly ran into the cage. Aeris ran over to Cloud and she threw her arms around him, and hugged him tightly.

"Thanks Cloud. I knew that you'd come for me…" said Aeris, softly, smiling.

Cloud grinned and looked away shyly, but he was still hugging Aeris too, glad that she was alright. After a while Aeris and Cloud finally let go of each other, breaking their embrace, and they both walked out of the cage. 

Suddenly, there was a rather strange sound coming from the bottom of the cage, and the bottom of the cage suddenly opened up. Cloud glanced down at it.

"Cloud, what's wrong?" asked Tifa, concerned.

"The elevator is moving," replied Cloud, knowing full well what this meant.

Yet another specimen was soon going to appear right inside the cage, and it was bound to attack them on sight.

Hojo started to laugh madly and insanely, despite his chest wounds and bleeding from many claw marks. At this, the lion-like creature stopped attacking him and glared furiously down at him, as if listening to what he had to say.

"This is no ordinary specimen! This is a very ferocious specimen!" said Hojo, with a dark sneer on his face, and then he collapsed, unconscious from his wounds. 

The lion-like creature quickly leaped off Hojo, and suddenly moved towards Cloud and the others.

"This specimen is rather strong. I'll help you all out. We should be able to hold it off if we all work together," said the lion-like creature, making Tifa, Cloud, Aeris and Barret all jump in shock, and they all stared at the lion-like creature in surprise and stunned disbelief.

"It talked!?" shouted Tifa, surprised and shocked. 

The lion-like creature frowned at this, its good eye narrowed sharply.

"Of course I can. Just because I am not a human being does not mean that I cannot speak your language. And I would prefer not to be called 'it'. I am an equal to all of you, not an inferior, nor a superior. I'll talk as much as you want later, miss. But, perhaps we should concentrate on the specimen that's just about to attack us," replied the lion-like creature, sharply.

The lion-like creature happened to be even smarter and far more intelligent than any human, and was also very wise and noble. Snapping out of his surprised trance and seeing the sense of the lion-like creature's words, Cloud quickly turned back towards the cage.

"We'll take care of that monster. Someone has to take Aeris somewhere safe. And we've still got Hojo to deal with. Tifa, you take Aeris somewhere safe. I'm counting on you," said Cloud.

Tifa nodded as she ran off, and Aeris followed her, as Cloud turned to face the lion-like creature.

"What's your name?" asked Cloud, curiously.

"Hojo has named me…Red XIII. A name with no meaning whatsoever to me, although it apparently fits with my tattoo that Hojo put on me. Call me whatever you wish," said Red XIII.

The specimen suddenly arrived in the cage. 

It was a monster with its mouth on its right shoulder. Its mouth had sharp teeth and the specimen had a feathery tail. It stood on two legs and its face and body was very deformed. 

The specimen was called G0152.

Red XIII was also able to fight however, and used his own razor-sharp claws and teeth as his weapons. Red XIII could also use Materia and he also had Materia equipped in a white feather on his head.

G0152 shrieked loudly, and purple powder suddenly appeared, and then vanished, poisoning Cloud, Barret and Red XIII, and causing them to stumble to their feet in dizziness.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Barret's feet as he charged up his gun for a moment, and then suddenly fired a big, orange ball of energy from his gun-arm straight at G0152. 

It hit G0152, and sent it flying hard into a wall and exploded. The wall was reduced to pieces and G0152 seemed very shaken and injured.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he ran up to G0152, and slashed it three times with his sword, giving it three huge bloody scars across its body. G0152 shrieked in pain from its wounds.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII'S feet as he reached for a Materia on the feather on his head, and the Materia flared to life in a bright green glow. Flames appeared out of nowhere and struck G0152, burning some of its feathers and skin. G0152 shrieked again from its wounds and burns.

Barret raised his gun-arm and fired his bullets straight at G0152, hitting it and giving it small bloody guns wounds to add to the big sword wounds. G0152 shrieked again, in agony.

Cloud ran up to G0152, raised his sword, and swung it at G0152, slashing through its skin and feathers and giving it another bloody sword wound across its skin. G0152 shrieked louder than ever, his feathers all stained with its blood.

Red XIII ran up to G0152, and slashed it with his claws, giving it bloody scratches across its skin, and tearing some of its feathers off.

G0152 roared angrily and suddenly attacked Red XIII and slashed its claws at him, giving him bloody scratches across his body as well. Red XIII howled in pain and was barely able to stand up on his four feet.

Green light then burst from the ground at Barret's feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck G0152, stunning it for a while, but otherwise not doing much.

Red XIII just managed to stand up on his four feet and run up to G0152 and slashed it with his claws, giving G0152 more bloody scratches across its body and ripping most of its feathers off. G0152 shrieked in agony, the terrible shriek heard from all around the science lab.

Green light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as some magical energy appeared out of nowhere and fully healed Cloud, Red XIII and Barret, healing them of their poisoning earlier and healing Red XIII'S scratches and injuries.

G0152 shrieked with rage, and purple powder suddenly appeared, and then vanished, poisoning Cloud, Barret and Red XIII once again, and causing them to stumble to their feet in dizziness.

Barret slowly got up and raised his gun-arm, and fired more bullets at G0152, hitting it and giving even more bullets wounds and severely weakening it. G0152 shrieked in pain as its dark blood stained the floor.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII'S feet as flames appeared out of nowhere and struck G0152, burning all of its feathers to pieces, and leaving huge scorch marks on it. G0152 shrieked in agony.

G0152 suddenly attacked Barret and slashed its claws at him, but Barret raised his gun-arm and used it to shield himself so the claws hit the gun-arm instead, and therefore Barret wasn't affected.

Cloud raised his sword, ran up to G0152 and swung his sword at it, slashing through its skin and giving it another huge bloody scar across its body.

Barret raised his gun-arm and fired more bullets at G0152, hitting it and giving even more bullet wounds. G0152 fell to a bloody heap on the floor of the lab, barely even alive and hanging by a thread, but it would still be a danger nonetheless.

Green light suddenly burst from the ground at Red XIII'S feet, as he reached for a Materia with one of his paws. Many flames appeared out of nowhere and struck G0152, killing it instantly and burning it until it was nothing more than a smoking pile of ash.

Cloud, Red XIII and Barret quickly healed their poisoning with potions, which also fully restored their health. Tifa and Aeris ran back over to Cloud, Red XIII and Barret. 

There was no sign of Hojo. He had clearly regained consciousness and had ran off during the battle.

"Your friends are back," said Red XIII, turning to face Cloud.

"Aeris, are you alright?" asked Cloud, concerned. 

Aeris nodded, while Tifa walked up to Cloud.

"She seems alright in many ways. But what happened up here?" asked Tifa, staring in surprise at the smoking ashes of what was G0152.

"We killed that specimen, but Hojo escaped. Oh, and thanks for your help," said Cloud, turning to face Red XIII. 

Red XIII simply nodded.

"I have a right to choose too. I don't like two-legged things," said Red XIII.

"What are you?" asked Barret, curiously.

"An informed question, but difficult to answer. I am merely what you see. You must have a lot of questions, but first, let's get out of here. I'll lead the way," said Red XIII.

"In that case, Red XIII, I guess you should come with us," said Cloud. Red XIII didn't answer.

"So you did come for me, Cloud…" said Aeris, softly with a warm smile. 

Red XIII suddenly leaped straight past her without warning, and Aeris jumped back in surprise and fear. 

Noticing this, Red XIII looked back at Aeris.

"I apologise for what happened back there, inside of the cage. I was merely acting to throw Hojo off guard. There's no need to be afraid of me, I promise," said Red XIII. 

Aeris slowly nodded, as if she was still unsure and doubtful.

"Now that we've saved Aeris, there ain't no need for any of us to be in this building. So let's just get the hell out of here," said Barret.

"If all five of us go together, we'll be noticed. Split up into two groups. Barret and Red XIII should come with me. Tifa and Aeris, you can find your own way out," said Cloud. 

Tifa and Aeris nodded.

"I'll see you later. We'll be waiting at the 66th floor elevator," said Tifa.

"And just don't get caught by Shinra!" shouted Barret, after them, as they began to run off. 

Aeris and Tifa ran off to the 66th floor elevator. Cloud, Barret and Red XIII took another direction to the 66th floor elevator.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Tseng and Rude were walking along the Shinra building, when Tseng's mobile phone suddenly rang. 

Tseng quickly answered it. 

It was an urgent message from a lab technician on the 67th floor. Intruders had been spotted in Hojo's lab. 

From the lab assistant's descriptions, it was definitely members of AVALANCHE.

"To make matters worse, the specimen, Red XIII, escaped from captivity and attacked Professor Hojo," said the lab assistant.

Tseng was tempted to laugh and say that Hojo deserved it, but he was a Turk, and he was therefore bound to his duty above all else.

"What about the Ancient?" asked Tseng, urgently.

"They broke her out of the lab too. I overheard them saying they have plans to meet up on the level 66 elevator," said the lab assistant. 

Tseng hung up and put his mobile phone away.

"We'll take care of them. Come on, Rude. Follow me," ordered Tseng. 

Rude nodded. The two Turks quickly boarded an elevator and rode up to the 66th floor.

"Be prepared for a fight. It seems those AVALANCHE guys are furious right now, and they might also have Red XIII with them," warned Tseng.

Rude nodded and tightened his fists. 

The elevator dropped them off at the 66th floor, and they found a place to hide for an ambush. Aeris and Tifa were the first ones to arrive on the 66th floor.

"Wait here," said Tseng, and he left their hiding place and walked right out into the open space ahead of Tifa and Aeris.

"Hello, ladies," said Tseng, coolly. 

Tifa and Aeris spun around in surprise and automatically took up defensive stances. Tseng just shrugged.

"Aeris, I'm glad to see that you're safe," said Tseng, coolly, as Aeris' eyes narrowed slightly.

"If you're so worried about me, then why did you ever capture me, or bring me here, or hand me over to Hojo?" asked Aeris, stamping her foot impatiently.

"I'm sorry, Aeris. Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" asked Tseng, coolly. 

Tifa merely glared angrily at him, ready to attack.

"I don't trust you," said Aeris, shaking her head.

"Look Aeris, I only did as Shinra ordered, and I got my commission. But we've both known each other for a long time, right? There are some feelings that a man can't help but have when he's known such a pretty woman for so long. Besides, I couldn't bare to see Hojo use you as just another helpless specimen," said Tseng, sounding sincere.

Tseng held out a hand. He seemed so harmless. There was an image of pain in his eyes that would guilt-trip Aeris if she didn't trust him. 

Aeris hesitated for a moment…then went to take Tseng's extended hand. Tifa wasn't fooled for a second, however, and was far less forgiving.

"Aeris, no!" shouted Tifa, as she jumped in front of Aeris and punched Tseng hard in the face and kicked him hard in the stomach. 

Tseng snarled angrily as blood ran down his nose and all the wind had been knocked out of him, but he caught Tifa's arm and flung her across the room where Rude came out of hiding to capture her, and he did so. 

Tifa was unable to break free from Rude's grasp and she had no choice but to surrender.

Tseng then quickly grabbed Aeris by her arms and handcuffed her so she was helpless and also had no choice but to surrender. 

Tseng and Rude brought Tifa and Aeris up to the president's office on the 70th floor where they were held captive for a moment. Then Tseng and Rude went back, found another hiding place nearby the elevator and waiting for the other members of AVALANCHE to come. 

Tseng took out a tissue from his pocket and wiped his bloody nose, and he was still winded in the stomach.

"Do you suppose that we missed them?" asked Rude.

"For someone who doesn't speak much, you sure are talkative today," said Tseng, coolly, putting his tissue away even though his nose was still bleeding. 

Then they heard voices down the hallway and listened carefully, as Cloud, Red XIII and Barret were walking down the hallway to the elevator.

"These are Shinra's best fighters? We've picked our teeth with every one of them. Well, that icky creature in the specimen lab was fairly tough," said Barret.

"That fight took a lot out of us, though. We should really head to the inn by the gym in this building," said Cloud.

"It sounds to me like you guys know this place inside and out," said Red XIII.

"We do now. Funny how no one suspected us. Some guy on the 61st floor even gave us his key card thinking that we were Shinra maintenance workers," said Cloud.

"Surely our presence must make us look suspicious? After all, I mean I'm supposed to be one of that mad scientist's laboratory specimens, remember?" said Red XIII, as the three of them boarded the elevator, and noticed that Tifa and Aeris weren't there yet, even though they had a head start.

"I think they both got caught by those Shinra bastards. What a bunch of fools," muttered Barret, annoyed.

"We can't be too sure, Barret. We're sure to run into them soon. They wouldn't just leave without us," said Cloud. 

Suddenly a man came into the elevator. It was Rude.

"Hey, what is it?" asked Cloud, surprised.

"Would you press up, please?" said Rude.

"Turks? Must be a trap," said Cloud. 

Suddenly, Tseng walked straight into the elevator. 

But, Cloud wasn't prepared for the other, more painful surprise that awaited him.

Rude cracked his knuckles, and suddenly punched Cloud hard across the face. Cloud feel to the floor, extremely dazed, and he looked up at Rude, but all he could see were bright sliver spots that danced in front of his face. 

He was too dazed to even get up.

"Was it fun for you?" asked Rude, sarcastically.

Tseng stood beside Rude, and he pulled out a shotgun from his pocket and he pointed it at Red XIII and Barret, both of them had no choice but to surrender. 

Cloud slowly got up, although he was still feeling dazed and peculiar. Tseng pointed his gun at Cloud, Red XIII, and Barret, as Rude handcuffed them tightly.

"It must have been a real thrill for you all. Did you enjoy it? I trust that you did…while it lasted. It's hard to imagine that a bunch of idiots like you could ever have gotten into the Shinra Headquarters. But the tour ends here, the President is very anxious to meet you all…" said Tseng, icily.


	30. Shinra Inc: The Meeting With The Preside...

Chapter 29 - The Meeting With The President 

Tseng and Rude had captured Cloud, Barret and Red XIII and took them to the 70th floor (the top floor) where President Shinra usually sat on his throne-like chair. 

Tifa was already in the room, but Aeris was nowhere to be seen. President Shinra was sitting on his chair behind his huge desk just in front of them. 

Cloud turned to face Tifa.

"You guys got caught too, huh?" said Tifa, grimly.

"You guys sure got lucky," said Rude.

"We've been captured by Shinra, and we are wanted terrorists. Somehow, I can't see that being good luck!" snapped Cloud, angrily.

"Actually, you were captured by the Turks. My handy work on you was quite special. Anyway, your group is lucky. It just so happens that the slum prison in Sector 3 is full to capacity, not only that, it is a fair distance away. So instead, the president is going to keep you locked up in the cells within this very building," said Rude.

"Get to the point! Why the hell is that lucky!?" snapped Barret, angrily.

"Why, that means you won't have to mix with all the other prisoners. I would pay a month wages to watch you fight to survive in that hell with the rapists, murderers and lunatics," said Tseng, coolly.

Barret laughed coldly.

"Fight to survive? Ha! We are the most wanted terrorists ever. If any bastard like them would have crossed us, guess what would have happened? They would've died!" snapped Barret.

"You are arrogant, but that is no surprise. Anyway, the President wishes to speak with you now," said Tseng.

"Where's Aeris!?" asked Cloud, angrily, turning to face President Shinra. 

President Shinra turned to face them.

"Oh, don't worry yourselves, she's in a safe place. She's a very special girl, you know. She's the last survivor of the Ancients. It is her who will lead us to the Promised Land. Don't you know? The Ancients once called themselves the Cetra and lived for thousands of years. They were on an endless pilgrimage to bring true peace to the Planet, and find the Promised Land. Now, they are just a forgotten page in history," explained President Shinra.

"Dream on! What the hell are you and all ya goddamn Shinra cronies gonna do when ya all find the Promised Land anyway!?" shouted Barret.

"The Cetra? That girl? Is she a survivor of the Cetra?" asked Red XIII, surprised and clearly astonished. 

It was obvious that Red XIII already knew and understood all about the Ancients. 

Nodding, President Shinra got up from his chair, and walked calmly towards them.

"The Cetra (or the Ancients) will show us the way to the Promised Land. Aeris, the last survivor of the Cetra, will be the one to show us the way to the Promised Land. I'm expecting a lot from her," said President Shinra.

"The Promised Land? Isn't that just a mere legend?" asked Red XIII, doubtfully. 

President Shinra shrugged.

"Even so, the idea is just far too appealing not to pursue. The Promised Land is said to be the resting place of the Ancients, or rather, the Cetra. The Promised Land is believed to have boundless amounts of spiritual energy. It's said that the Promised Land is a beautiful, very fertile land full of life. And if the land really is fertile, with plenty of life on it and spiritual energy…" explained President Shinra, looking around at them all, expecting an answer.

Barret's eyes widened in shock.

"Then there's gotta be Mako! Good god, there must be absolutely tons of it!" exclaimed Barret, in amazement.

"Yes, exactly. That is why our money sucking Mako Reactors are necessary. The abundant Mako will just come out on it's own. But, why should we need our moneymaking Mako Reactors when the Mako energy will flow out all by itself? And that is where Neo-Midgar will be built. Shinra's new and ultimate glory. We mine out the Mako, use it to energise all places that don't use it, and then we build Shinra's new glory over the Promised Land. The metropolis of Neo-Midgar," explained President Shinra, proudly.

"Bullshit! Quit dreaming, Shinra!" snapped Barret. 

President Shinra raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? Dreaming, am I? Life would be dull without dreams. Don't you know? These days, all it takes for your dreams to come true is money and power. In any case, you are all beginning to bore me. Well, that is all for our meeting then. Rude! Get these lowlifes out of my office, and imprison them," ordered President Shinra. 

Rude ran towards them.

"Come on! Everyone out this way! You heard him!" shouted Rude, sharply. Cloud, Tifa and Red XIII had no choice but to obey so they left the room.

But Barret refused to move.

"Hold it! I've got a lot I wanna say to you!" roared Barret, angrily. Rude ran over to him and he quickly dragged Barret out of the room, despite Barret's struggling.

"If you need something else and if there are any problems, then please talk to my secretary," said President Shinra, coolly.

****************************************************************

Cloud, Tifa, Barret and Red XIII were hauled into separate elevators and guided to floor 67. As they got off the elevators they suddenly notice the area become crowded with Soldier warriors. Rude addressed a soldier.

"These are the remaining members of the terrorist group AVALANCHE. The president has ordered that they be restrained in the cells on this floor. Do you understand?" asked Rude, sharply. The soldier saluted.

"Yes sir, Rude! There are roughly five spare cells, one a piece," said the soldier. 

Rude, however, was shaking his head,

"No, they are to be split into two pairs and held together," said Rude.

"But sir…" began the soldier, but he fell silent when Rude menacingly cracked his knuckles.

"What is wrong with you scumbags? Can you not take a direct order? They are to be paired up, you do not have to be informed of why that is, just be aware that is the President's will!" snapped Rude. 

The soldier gulped and saluted.

"O-Of…Of course sir, as you wish!" stammered the soldier, nervously. Rude left and the lead soldier sized them up.

"I don't know why you are all going to be held in pairs like this, but cause any trouble and we won't hesitate to attack you!" said the soldier.

Barret response to this was to spit right on the soldier's face. The soldiers' face burned with rage and he slammed his fist into Barret's stomach, but Barret didn't even flinch from it, since it clearly had no effect.

"Just as I thought, you talk big, act big and are soft as shit!" snapped Barret.

"Throw him and the tiger creature into the same cell! The one on the end of the row! Now get on with it, place the other two in the middle cell while you are at it, I shall be in the nearby office," said the soldier.

Soon Aeris, Cloud, Tifa, Barret and Red XIII were all put in a locked room (like jail rooms) on the 67th floor. 

Aeris was in the room on the left, Cloud and Tifa were in the room in the middle, and Red XIII and Barret were in the room on the right. 

All of them were expected to be imprisoned (except Aeris, since Shinra had other plans for her) for a very, very long time indeed.


	31. Sephiroth Return: A Time Spent In Jail

Chapter 30 - Time Spent In Jail 

"Aeris is an Ancient and the real name of the Ancients is Cetra. The Ancients know where the Promised Land is and Shinra is searching for that Promised Land, but I only heard stories about the Promised Land. I don't know if it really exists. Is that right?" asked Barret. 

Red XIII didn't reply and made no response to Barret's explanations. Barret continued.

"Shinra believe that the Promised Land is full of Mako energy, which means if Shinra get there, they'll suck up all the Mako energy and all the land will wither away. The Planet's gonna get even weaker. I can't just leave it be like that. I'm recruiting new members. Me, Tifa, Cloud…and Aeris too. How about you? You could be a valuable edition to the team," said Barret, thoughtfully, glancing at Red XIII.

Red XIII seemed reluctant to answer, and he went to the other end off the room, laid on the floor, yawned sleepily, and didn't answer. 

Barret sighed as his enthusiasm fled.

"You're so goddamn boring, fool," muttered Barret. 

Red XIII made no answer or reaction to this and laid on the floor, thinking to himself about his past.

"Grandpa…" sighed Red XIII, deep in thought. 

"Grandpa!? Ha, ha, ha! Grandpa, huh? Ha, ha, ha!" laughed Barret, with a snort, apparently rather amused.

Red XIII'S heart leaped up into his throat. Had he been thinking out loud? He quickly turned to face Barret and tried his best to appear calm.

"What's so funny?" asked Red XIII, confused and annoyed.

"Nothing," replied Barret, quickly shaking his head, although he was still chuckling a bit. 

Meanwhile, Cloud was in the middle room with Tifa, trying to figure out what to do to escape.

"Do you think we can get out this building, Cloud?" asked Tifa, curiously.

"Of course we can, what would be the point of breaking into this building if we couldn't break back out again? Just leave to me," said Cloud.

"Cloud, you're so brave," whispered Tifa, smiling.

On the far side of Barret's cell, in the left cell, Aeris sat on the bed and played her ponytail, thinking to herself. 

She sometimes wished that she wasn't an Ancient. 

Or at least not the last one alive on the Planet, anyway. 

Always running and hiding from Shinra, it was no way to live a life. She wanted to live quietly, maybe find a nice boy like Cloud and settle down. 

Only, it seemed like Cloud wasn't too fond of staying in one place for too long; she could even hear him pacing back and forth in his cell, next to her own.

Aeris's mind wandered for a while longer, and she began to think of Tifa. She was nice, and they had gotten along well enough. And she had known Cloud far longer than Aeris had. But she also wanted to be with Cloud. 

Aeris didn't blame Tifa for that; she could hardly help how she felt. It still gnawed at her, though. Aeris sighed wearily.

Why did she always have to have an interest with the boys that caused her trouble? Cloud was a lot like Zack, in that respect. Another sigh escaped her lips; she often wondered a lot where Zack was. 

Cloud was far too much like him for comfort. Maybe she saw her old boyfriend in Cloud, and that was why she liked him so much. If that was it, she decided, she was just being silly. 

You can't relive the past, she told herself. 

Nevertheless, Aeris walked over to the wall, where Cloud was at the other end.

"Cloud, are you there?" asked Aeris, urgently.

Hearing Aeris from the other side of the wall, Cloud quickly rushed to the wall while Tifa lay back down on the cell bed, listening quietly.

"Aeris, is that you? Are you safe? Are you alright?" asked Cloud, concerned.

"Yeah, thanks Cloud, I'm alright. I knew that you would come for me. I'm so glad that you're alright," said Aeris, smiling.

"Hey, I'm your bodyguard, right?" said Cloud, with a chuckle, grinning.

"What time is it?" asked Aeris.

"No idea, I guess it'll be dawning soon. Aeris, have you been crying?" asked Cloud, suspiciously, having heard some distressed sounds from the wall earlier.

"Yes, but it's nothing. Just a dream," said Aeris, quickly. 

Cloud didn't reply. He could tell that Aeris was hiding something but knew it wouldn't do any good to argue. 

After a moment of silence, Aeris spoke again, but she sounded a lot more cheerful this time.

"The deal was for one date, right?" asked Aeris, grinning.

"Oh…I get it. I see how it is…" muttered Tifa, sounding somewhat irritated, getting off the bed and standing up.

"Tifa!? Tifa, you're there too!?" said Aeris, surprised, and jumping a step back from the wall in shock and embarrassment.

"Well, excuse me! Aeris, I have a question," said Tifa.

"What?" asked Aeris, curiously.

"Does the Promised Land really exist? And if so, just where exactly is it?" asked Tifa. Cloud listened intently as well.

"I don't know. All I know is that…the Cetra were born from the Planet, speak with the Planet and unlock the Planet. Then the Cetra return to the Promised Land. A land that promises supreme happiness," explained Aeris.

"What does that mean?" asked Tifa, puzzled.

"More than words…I don't know. I'm not sure. The only person that might know is my real mother, and she's been dead for a long time. I used to speak with her spirit in the church," replied Aeris.

"Speak with the Planet?" repeated Cloud, confused and bewildered.

"Just what does the Planet say?" asked Tifa, also somewhat confused. 

Aeris hesitated for a moment, and then shook her head.

"It's full of people and it's noisy. That's why I usually can't make out what it's saying," replied Aeris.

"Do you hear it now?" asked Cloud.

"I only heard it at the church. That was the only place where I could hear it. My mother…that is, my real mother…said that Midgar was no longer safe anymore. Someday, I'll get out of Midgar, speak with the Planet, and find my Promised Land," explained Aeris.

"I'll help you get out of here, I promise. But for now, let's all get some sleep," said Cloud.

"Alright, but I don't see the point. We're probably gonna be dead by tomorrow anyway," muttered Barret, from the other end of the opposite wall. 

Red XIII also spoke from the same room as Barret.

"Reserving your strength is always wise. After all, you never know when there might yet be a chance for an escape," said Red XIII, calmly.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, President Shinra was still sitting calmly on his throne-like chair in his room on the 70th floor. He was thinking about his plans for Neo-Midgar, and he was very sure that AVALANCHE would not bother Shinra any more, and was no longer a threat. 

He was planning to have them all publicly executed.

President Shinra planed to find the Promised Land and build another city there (Neo-Midgar) with a lot of Mako Reactors to suck up all the Mako energy in the Promised Land. 

The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. He sat back down in his chair, and was about to smoke another cigar, when suddenly, he spotted something in the air, from out the building's 70th floor windows, coming straight towards him.

It appeared to be a man-like figure flying in the air coming straight towards the building. The figure appeared to be in a black cape, which covered his face and most of his long silver hair, which flowed behind him, and he was carrying a huge, long, and very sharp and powerful sword.

President Shinra was terrified, alarmed and very surprised, and he started to run away, when suddenly the figure burst straight through the window, smashing the window to pieces so loudly that it sounded like it had just exploded. 

The figure came straight towards President Shinra, with his sword raised firmly in his hand as he swung it down at him, and President Shinra screamed, but the scream was quickly cut short by the man's sword.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, the next morning, Tseng got into work as usual and suddenly found Shinra headquarters to be unusually quiet and empty, unnervingly so. Instead of going to the Turk's base, he decided to investigate.

No one was around, which was unheard of around here given the hour of the day. He took the elevator up to the 66th floor. From there, he climbed the stairs up one more level. 

Exiting the stairwell, he immediately saw, with horror, several dead bodies, lying in red pools of their own blood. Blood stained the entire floor, and the rooms were piled with hundreds of dead bodies of Shinra employees. 

The whole place was littered with blood; mutated dead bodies and severed limbs, so much so that it made the usually calm and casual leader of the Turks suddenly feel sick and nauseated.

"(No, Cloud and AVALANCHE couldn't possibly have escaped and caused so much mayhem), thought Tseng, looking around in horror, at the carnage around the building.

There was blood all over the walls like red paint. Impossibly deep gouges were slashed permanently into the walls in large, bold streaks. The walls had been sliced through as easily as if they were warm butter. 

Tseng followed the trail of destruction, bodies, limbs, bones and blood all the way to Hojo's laboratory, and quickly pulled out his shotgun from his pocket, feeling a chill down his spine, his heart beating hard in fear and tension.

The whole floor was deathly quiet and still.

Something told him to leave, but as a Turk, Tseng wanted to stay strong and courageous, and not back out. And as he entered the lab, four hideous creatures he'd never seen before suddenly attacked him. They must have been Hojo's specimens and they were somehow on the loose. 

Skinny, pale orange bodies wriggled, large red eyes gazing back at the Turks leader. One of them knocked Tseng down with a blinding light.

Tseng's eyes ached slightly but in self-defence, he tried his best to subdue his adversaries. The creatures' bodies were rather frail, and one shot with his gun killed one of the monsters instantly.

But while he had killed it, the others moved in. Tseng took a few steps back after feeling a sting in his thigh. His vision was clearing, but he was unwilling to take chances with these monsters.

Green light burst from the ground at Tseng's feet as he reached for a Materia equipped on his gun, and it quickly flared to life in a bright green glow. A bolt of lightning then suddenly appeared out of nowhere as a result, and killed one creature and had also killed another.

In retaliation, the last remaining monster executed a self-destruction suicide, causing a force powerful enough to slam Tseng against the wall. The leader of the Turks quickly got back on his feet. He wasn't wounded or injured, but the attack left him feeling a bit drained.

The fight had preoccupied him, and yet he knew that the creatures were not strong enough to cause that much destruction, and so they were not responsible. It wasn't until it was all over and his head cleared that Tseng realized that Jenova had been busted out of its holding tank. 

Tseng suspected that the creature had been pulled from the tank by the one who had caused all the destruction, and was dragged out of the lab. And there were still more bloodstains leading up and into the stairwell.

As Tseng ran up the stairs, he noticed that even more people were lying dead on the other floors above, blood all over the floor and walls of those floors too. 

Tseng quickly reached the end of the stairs, and he quickly ran straight onto the top floor, the 70th floor.

Tseng quickly ran along the 70th floor, and burst straight into the president's office, only to have his worst fear confirmed, as his eyes widened in shock and horror at what he saw right in front of him.

President Shinra was dead, in a pool of his own blood, with blood also being splattered all over the walls and on the big desk. There were limbs and organs all over the floor too. 

Still behind the desk, the slain President's mutated and bloody body was slumped over, and Tseng spotted the murder weapon, a long, sharp, deadly, slender sword, that was sticking out of his back. 

Somehow, the sword seemed very familiar to Tseng.

It definitely wasn't AVALANCHE'S doing, Tseng concluded. None of them possessed this sword, and could not possibly cause this much destruction without being caught. He also found no logical reason as to why the group of terrorists would make off with the body of Jenova, either.

With those suspects out of the way, Tseng couldn't think of who else might have been responsible for the vivid scene of gore and death on the top five floors. 

And since Jenova had no hands, and therefore could not use the sword, it could not possibly have been behind the president's death, either, or even behind the deaths of all the employees on the previous five floors below.

Tseng quickly ran out of the room and entered the limited-access elevator on level 70 with his mobile phone in his hand. He wasn't stupid enough to hang around where the powerful deadly unknown thing may still be lurking around. 

He decided to phone Reeve. After a few seconds, Reeve came on the line and Tseng urgently spoke.

"Reeve! Something terrible has happened! The President is dead, hundreds of Shinra employees have been brutally and viciously killed, and the headless Jenova specimen is missing!" said Tseng, urgently.

"What!?" shouted Reeve, in shock and disbelief.

"There's no sign of Hojo, either. I'd say he's the prime suspect, strange as it may seem. But the long sword in the president's back might just rule him out. Hojo's pretty weak psychically, after all, and the sword seems to be extremely heavy. And some slimy creatures attacked me when I entered his lab. But I don't think it was them either, they were far too weak to cause that much destruction," said Tseng.

"Hojo? His precious specimens? I really don't know about any of this," said Reeve, bewildered and still in shock.

"I'm on my way down to your office. Just wait there. Watch out for any danger," said Tseng.

Tseng hung up, put his mobile phone away and boarded an elevator and went down to Reeve's office a few floors below. 

Tseng arrived there and entered Reeve's office, where Reeve was sitting at his desk. Tseng walked up to him.

"We should alert Vice President Rufus. I assume that he doesn't know?" asked Reeve. 

Tseng nodded, and took out his mobile phone again and phoned Rufus to tell him what had happened.


	32. Sephiroth Return: Unexpected Return Of S...

Chapter 31 - The Unexpected Return Of Sephiroth 

Cloud woke up and got up from the floor, while Tifa was still fast asleep on the bed. They were still in the prison cell and as Cloud looked around, he found to his amazement and surprise that the door in the cell was open.

"The door's open? When did it open?" asked Cloud, surprised. 

Cloud quickly ran out the room and he found to his great surprise that the guard outside the three rooms was dead. 

He was covered in deep, bloody wounds and gouges that ran down from his head to his feet, blood was splattered everywhere, and his wounds were so deep that even his bones were showing beneath the tattered flesh. 

Feeling sick, Cloud also saw that the steel walls had deep, huge slashes through them, as though they had been sliced as easily as warm butter. 

They were many cracks and holes in the walls too. Cloud stared in amazement, horror and disbelief, feeling a nasty chill of fear down his spine.

"What happened?" gasped Cloud, surprised and stunned. 

With a big gulp, he ran back into the room where Tifa was still sleeping.

"Tifa, wake up!" shouted Cloud. 

Tifa awoke, yawning sleepily and looked up at Cloud, and she was suddenly alert when she saw the horrified expression on Cloud's face.

"What's wrong?" asked Tifa, concerned.

"Something's wrong. Very wrong. Take a look outside," replied Cloud.

They both ran out of the room and they ran to the dead guard. Tifa's eyes widened in surprise as she gasped in horror, and Cloud could tell that she was as horrified, sickened, and terrified as he was.

"Oh my god. What happened?" asked Tifa, surprised.

"I don't know what happened here, but this could be our chance to escape. He should have the key on him," said Cloud. 

Cloud reluctantly searched the blood-filled pockets and quickly took the key from the dead guard.

"Tifa, you go and help Aeris. I'll help Barret and Red XIII," said Cloud. 

Tifa nodded, took a key and opened the left cell and ran into the room to help Aeris, while Cloud opened the right cell with the other key and he ran into the room to help Barret and Red XIII.

They both stared at him in astonishment when he ran into the cell, both of them startled.

"Barret, Red XIII, come with me. Something's wrong," said Cloud, quickly.

"What the hell's going on, Cloud? What the heck are ya doing in here? How did ya get in? Why is the door open?" asked Barret, bewildered and suspicious.

"There's no time to explain. Just come on," replied Cloud, shortly and urgently. 

They all ran out the room towards the dead guard. Barret and Red XIII could see as easily as Cloud and Tifa that the dead guard was covered with bloody, horrible wounds. 

They both stared at the sight before them, their eyes wide and their mouths open in shock.

"What the hell's going on!? Who the heck could have done this!?" shouted Barret, alarmed. 

Red XIII looked very grim.

"There is no possible way that a mere human could have ever done this. I'll go on ahead to scout the area," said Red XIII, and he ran along the 67th floor. 

Barret turned to face Cloud.

"This is sure looking pretty bad. If there is an enemy like this in the building, then we don't know what the hell to expect here. I guess we had best try and find out what the hell happened in this place. I can handle a group of enemies by myself, so I'll stay back here. You go with the girls and follow Red XIII, but make sure that you're prepared for anything. I'll clean up back here, so you guys just go ahead. And don't get caught by Shinra," warned Barret.

Cloud nodded, walked into the other cell and walked over to Tifa and Aeris who were both talking about what had just happened. 

Aeris looked shocked at the news, while Tifa turned to face Cloud when he had come in. Cloud walked up to them.

"All right you two, come with me. We are going to follow Red XIII, and try to figure out what happened here," explained Cloud. They both nodded.

"Okay Cloud, but what do we do afterwards?" asked Aeris, curiously.

"I don't know yet, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Chances are that nobody is around anymore, but keep your weapons poised, and do not be afraid to use them. Whatever did this could still be lurking here," warned Cloud.

"Come on, let's follow Red XIII," said Tifa.

Cloud, Tifa and Aeris walked out the room and they followed Red XIII to the Science Department, while Barret hurled the dead guard's bloody remains and limbs into one of the cells and locked it up with the keys, threw the keys away afterwards and bounded after the others.

Red XIII bounded down the hallway, wrinkling his nose and sneezing. What on earth could leave such a horrible stench? It smelled of death, decay, fear, and anger, all rolled up into one sharp, bitter smell. 

He had seen and experienced his fair share of brutal battles, but even they were nothing compared to this. 

Shinra's strongest and most elite First Class SOLDIERS had all been killed and tossed aside like they were no more than rag dolls, seeing their dead remains lie scattered all over the floor, which was now a deep, crimson red, as their blood had spread all over the floor.

The trail went right, and Red XIII went into Hojo's lower laboratory area. Cloud noticed immediately, in horror, that the 'Jenova' cage was completely trashed.

The door of the cage now lay in a twisted, mangled heap of metal, halfway across the room, marked again by several deep slash marks. 

The purple fluid that had kept Jenova in stasis was all over the floor in a bright puddle that made Cloud's head spin dizzily, mixed along with the blood of the lab assistant who laid not too far from the wreckage, dead and covered with many horrible, bloody wounds.

"(Did it get away? Jenova? Is that what did this?)" thought Cloud, horrified.

Staring thoughtfully at the wreckage, Red XIII seemed to be busy pondering the very same thing.

"Jenova…Looks like it went to the upper floor using the elevator floor for the specimens. I do think that Jenova went up too, but judging by the fact that the creature was headless, I'm guessing that someone…or something…helped it. And I'm guessing the one who helped it was the one who caused all this destruction," explained Red XIII.

Red XIII quickly led the others up the elevator to the lab area on the next floor, where the carnage only got even worse. 

More and more of the First Class, Second Class and the Third Class commanders lay dead in piles at every few feet, with looks of unbelieving horror glued to their pale, mangled faces. 

Cloud would have bet anything that the entire building looked and smelled like a flaming morgue.

Red XIII suddenly hissed and dropped into a fighting stance. The others all prepared their weapons and watched the encroaching shadows, bewildered when nothing seemed to stir.

"Red XIII, what's wrong?" asked Aeris, bewildered.

"The smell that I am receiving is that of some of my tribe. But they have been altered and mutated by Hojo. I can smell the Jenova cells in them! Better be prepared. We should be perfectly capable of taking these creatures down. They're too weak to cause this much destruction, but we better be on the lookout," said Red XIII.

The group formed a cross formation so that none of them had their backs exposed. Silently they moved in unison towards the walls and suddenly a loud roar sounded. 

Fixing the direction of the sound the group broke formation and stood in a line. Crouched before them were three lion like creatures. 

Only now their manes were of dark fur, their faces covered in scars from numerous incisions and decaying strips of flesh hung from their mouths.

Red XIII howled a war cry and dived at one of the creatures. Slashing his deadly razor sharp claws across one of the creatures, Red XIII soon split the thing in half with his claws, killing it instantly.

Cloud unleashed his sword and charged at another creature that had leapt towards him. The pair of them crossed mid-air. The creature had cut Cloud deep; Cloud had cut the creature deeper, killing it instantly. 

As Cloud clutched the wound in his chest he watched the other creature, the long tear opened, and split the dead creature into two pieces.

The final creature, meanwhile, had rounded on Aeris and Tifa, who had both long since decided to team up against the creature. 

Aeris gracefully spun towards the left side of the creature and brought her staff down upon the centre of its skull, and as the creature stumbled, Tifa jumped into the air and slammed the heel of her foot into the spine of the lion-like beast. 

The creature had been hit a lot and was now merely limping on its legs, but Tifa decided to finish it off, just in case it posed any more threat.

Running up to the creature, she grabbed hold of its neck, and pushed them both towards the floor. 

Using the force of the motion, she twisted at the creature's throat with all her strength and it soon snapped, killing the creature instantly. Carefully, she hauled herself from the floor and faced the group.

"Let's keep moving, in case any more of them arrive," said Tifa. All of them nodded and continued along the path. 

However, Cloud dropped to one knee at the door to the stairwell and groaned, pulling his hand from his side they noticed the wound.

Aeris lay him down and carefully lifted his shirt.

"Does anyone have a Restore Materia?" asked Aeris. 

Tifa tossed one towards her, which Aeris gracefully caught, deciding to use the Materia this time instead of unnecessarily using up her own healing abilities.

Applying this Materia to her staff, Aeris brought up the waves of green light and used her abilities. The green energy felt great to Cloud and the pain began to diminish. 

The others though watched as the wound began to close, and finally be totally clean with no mark left upon his body whatsoever. 

Tifa, along with everyone else, was amazed.

"I heard that the Restore spells merely granted more energy, and that for deep cuts, you must use a traditional approach, so how come you managed that?" asked Tifa, curiously. Aeris just shrugged.

"I've always been strong magically, plus I study and read carefully about the subject of Materia. Every Materia has a simple spell that anyone can pull off, however, they also have extremely well hidden, more powerful spells, that only someone with true knowledge of Materia can access," explained Aeris.

"Amazing, I doubt that Shinra had been prepared for an attack from a group so few in number that possesses such great skills," said Tifa. Cloud got up and he shook his head.

"You are a martial artist, and yet here you are ignoring the one rule that governs any form of combat. The number one rule of combat is that you should never ever underestimate your opponent. Maybe the Shinra did anticipate it. They might have a lot of elite martial artists and soldiers that we haven't seen or encountered before, understand? So we'd still better be careful," said Cloud. Tifa nodded.

"You're right. Come on, let's go," said Tifa.

The trail led even further upstairs to the floor beneath the president's office, where more office workers lay dead where they had stood probably no more than an hour ago. 

The entire building was deathly still and silent, not a thing even dared to stir. The only sound Cloud heard was his own heart beating in fear and tension inside his chest. More than once, Cloud caught himself holding his breath and tensing, as if expecting a heavy blow from behind at any moment.

They quickly walked upstairs to the 68th floor and they went along the 68th floor and they came to the stairs. They then went up the stairs to the 69th floor and they went to another set of stairs, which led to the 70th floor. 

More people were lying dead on the floor and there was still a long trail of blood along the floor.

Cloud, Tifa, Aeris and Red XIII walked up the stairs to the 70th floor. Cloud, Tifa and Aeris followed Red XIII up the stairway to the 70th floor and Cloud quickly burst through the doors into the president's office with his sword raised and held tightly in his hand, ready for any sudden attack.

None came, but an even bigger shock did.

President Shinra was still on his throne-like chair, but he was slumped onto his desk and had a very long, sharp sword stabbed in his back. 

President Shinra was dead. 

Then suddenly, Barret arrived and ran into the room, aiming his gun-arm as if excepting an attack, and then he also spotted President Shinra's dead, mutated and bloody body, and stared with shock and amazement, lowering his gun-arm.

"He's dead. The leader of Shinra Incorporated himself is dead. I don't believe it. The bastard is actually dead," said Barret, in disbelief, stunned.

But Cloud wasn't staring at the dead president, or taking any notice of Barret's words. He was staring at the long sword that was stabbed in the President's back. 

He had seen that sword before. 

Cloud instantly recognised the sword, and he knew exactly who the owner of that sword was. 

Cloud stared at the sword with disbelief and shock, now starting to tremble uncontrollably with fear and horror, his heart beating wildly inside his chest in terror as his eyes widened in fear and realisation.

"(It…it can't be him. It can't be. He's dead. I saw him die)," thought Cloud, horrified, and panicking.

Cloud turned around to the others who all looked bewildered and stunned, but Cloud saw that Tifa looked just as horrified as he was, and knew that the same thought must have occurred to her as well.

"Then this sword must be…!" gasped Tifa, suddenly, realising the same thing as Cloud.

"Sephiroth's!! Sephiroth must have done this!" shouted Cloud, shocked, and terrified. 

Everyone gasped in surprise. 

Barret turned to face Cloud, staring at him sharply.

"Sephiroth? Isn't that lunatic supposed to be dead or something?" asked Barret, surprised.

"Sephiroth is still alive?" gasped Tifa, in disbelief. 

Cloud nodded and gulped, he really didn't want to believe it, but he knew that there was just simply no way could not be Sephiroth.

Only Sephiroth was strong enough to use that sword, the Masumane, and only he could burst into the Shinra building and slaughter all those people without even breaking a sweat, and without even the slightest bit of remorse.

"Looks like it. Only Sephiroth can use that sword," replied Cloud, who was still in shock, and did not want to believe that Sephiroth was back. 

Not after what happened the last time he saw Sephiroth…five years ago…

"Who cares who did it? This is the end of Shinra now!" declared Barret, excited.

"Barret, SHUT UP! You don't know what you're talking about! Sephiroth is many thousands of times more evil and deadly than Shinra!" snapped Cloud, angrily.

But just then, Aeris suddenly spotted Palmer hiding behind one of the pillars in the room, and gasped in surprise, making everyone else notice Palmer. 

Palmer yelped in fear and he tried to run past them, but Cloud and Barret quickly caught him by the arms, and Palmer couldn't move.

"P-Please…p-please don't kill me, begged Palmer, terrified, his eyes wide with terror, and his fat, round face was absolutely lived with fear.

"What happened?" demanded Cloud, roughly.

"I-It was him. S-Sephiroth came," replied Palmer, shakily.

"But that's impossible! Sephiroth is dead!" shouted Cloud, still not ready to face the cold truth.

"Oh no, he's far from dead. Sephiroth is alive. He came in here himself, and he assassinated the president," said Palmer.

"Did you see Sephiroth?" asked Cloud.

"Yeah, I saw him with my own eyes," said Palmer.

"Did you really saw him?" asked Cloud, suspiciously.

"Hey, would I lie to you at a time like this? And I heard his voice too. He was saying something about not letting us have the Promised Land," explained Palmer, trembling.

"So does that mean that the Promised Land really does exist after all, and that Sephiroth's here to save it from Shinra?" asked Tifa.

"So does that mean he's a good guy then? That he's on our side?" asked Barret.

Cloud snarled in anger and he gave Barret a very nasty look as his fists clenched.

"Save the Promised Land!? A good guy!? Not likely! No way! It's not that simple! I know him! Sephiroth's mission is different! He's not on our side, believe me! I've seen and known him before! He's pure evil! He's only trying to stop Shinra from finding the Promised Land, because if he doesn't, it will interfere with his own evil plans!" snapped Cloud.

While they were distracted, Palmer quickly took the opportunity to escape, and managed to break free from their grasp, and ran frantically outside where a Shinra helicopter was arriving and landing.

A man with blond hair, dressed in a posh white suit, was suddenly getting out of the helicopter, and Palmer was explaining to him about what had just happened.

Barret's eyes widened in surprise, and he cursed angrily as he realised who the man was.

"Damn it! Rufus! I forgot all about him!" shouted Barret.

"Who's that?" asked Tifa.

"Vice president Rufus. The president's goddamn no-good monster of a son," replied Barret.

"I wonder what kind of person Rufus is," said Tifa.

"I don't know. But I've heard that no one has ever seen him bleed or cry," said Aeris.

"I heard that he's been assigned to the big city of Junon, far away from here, for a long time," said Barret.

"I only know his name," said Red XIII, shortly.

***************************************************************

Meanwhile, Palmer was beginning to Rufus explain about what had happened in the building.

Rufus Shinra was twenty-three years old, had blond hair and he wore a posh white suit that was not a bit out of place and he also wore posh black shoes. He had blue eyes, which were the colour of icicles and their expression was often as cold as them too. He wore posh black gloves and he was now the President and ruler of Shinra, which meant of course that he was now the ruler of the entire world. Rufus, however, was even more ruthless and cruel than even his father.

"Palmer, what happened? Where's my father?" asked Rufus, his voice and face devoid of all emotion.

"R-Rufus, your father…he's…he's dead. Sephiroth killed him," gasped Palmer, shaking in fear, completely terrified. 

Rufus showed no emotion at all, not caring in the least.

"And did you actually see Sephiroth just now, Palmer?" asked Rufus, coolly.

"It was Sephiroth! I saw Sephiroth! And he said some stuff too! A lot of stuff!" said Palmer.

"Some stuff?" repeated Rufus, coldly, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah! He said stuff like about not letting us have the Promised Land. And AVALANCHE is here too!" said Palmer.

"Sephiroth said that?" asked Rufus, sharply.

"That's what I said! It was Sephiroth! He said Shinra's not getting the Promised Land," said Palmer.

"And AVALANCHE was here too?" asked Rufus.

"Yeah, they tried to steal the Ancient," replied Palmer.

"Where is Sephiroth? Is he still here?" asked Rufus.

"No, he…he disappeared. AVALANCHE is after me," gasped Palmer, looking behind his shoulder in fear, shaking and trembling more than ever. 

Rufus frowned at him, disgusted by his cowardice.

"Get into the helicopter, Palmer. I'll take care of these hoodlums myself," said Rufus, sharply.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Barret and Red XIII all ran outside and ran to Rufus and Palmer. Palmer was still explaining about what had just happened and about President Shinra's death. Rufus didn't seem to be upset at all. 

In fact, by the look on his face, he couldn't care less.

Palmer ran away into the helicopter in fear when Cloud and the others arrived, but Rufus just stood and stared at them, without any fear, compassion or any emotion at all.

"So…who are you guys then? AVALANCHE…right?" asked Rufus, coldly.

"Damn straight! And don't you forget it!" snapped Barret, waving his fist angrily.

"I'm Cloud Strife. Former SOLDIER, first class, freelance mercenary," replied Cloud.

"I'm Barret Wallace! I'm the leader of AVALANCHE!" shouted Barret, raising his fist even more menacingly.

"I'm Tifa Lockhart, and I'm also from AVALANCHE," said Tifa, shortly.

"I'm Aeris Gainsborough, and I'm a flower girl from the slums of Midgar," said Aeris, quietly, not even daring to look Rufus in the face. It was his eyes. They were as cold and empty as glaciers.

"I am Red XIII, lion warrior and research specimen," said Red XIII, quietly. Rufus raised an eyebrow.

"Wow…what a ridiculous crew. Only one of you has any form of military experience, and another one of you is just a civilian. Just goes to show how incompetent the once glorious Shinra has become under the rule of my father. Well, I do applaud your courage, though. It does take a lot of guts to invade the Shinra Headquarters. Oh, how rude of me, allow me to introduce myself. I am Rufus Shinra. The new President of Shinra Incorporated," said Rufus.

"You're only President because ya old man died! And good riddance!" shouted Barret.

If Barret had been hoping to get Rufus angry, he would have been dreadfully disappointed. Rufus simply nodded, still as calm and casual as ever.

"Yes indeed, I must say that I agree with you on both counts. You must the leader of AVALANCHE. What a pity. If it hadn't been for you, Reno wouldn't have had to destroy Sector 7," said Rufus, coolly.

"Now wait just a minute! You're the ones who were scheming to blow up Sector 7 in the first place! You Shinra's are all alike!" snapped Tifa, angrily.

"For your information, I don't know what my father had ordered, but I had nothing to do with it," said Rufus, sharply.

"Bullshit! You were probably the one who ordered it to be done! And you're only president because ya old man bit the dust!" roared Barret.

"Yes, quite true. That's right. But I am still the new president of Shinra nonetheless. I'll even let you hear my new appointment speech. My old man tried to control the world with money, and that worked for him. Everyone thought he ran Shinra rather well. Or at least…that's how it seemed like from the outside. It was the perfect cover up. The population all thought that Shinra would protect them. Work at Shinra, get your pay, and if a terrorist attacks, the Shinra army will help you. It all looks perfect on the outside. But it costs far too much, you see. So I prefer to do things differently. I will control the world…with fear," explained Rufus. 

He paused for a moment, looking around at them coldly, and then continued.

"It wastes far too much money to do it like my old man. A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no need to waste any money on pathetic creatures like them," explained Rufus, calmly. 

Rufus laughed coldly for a moment and stopped moments later. Tifa glared at him, angrily.

"You like to make speeches. Just like your father. You're cold, did you know that!? How can you laugh like that, at a time like this, knowing that your own father is dead! Don't you even care!?" yelled Tifa, angrily.

Rufus looked at Tifa and then looked through the big, smashed window at President's Shinra's lifeless body, the Masumane sword still placed firmly in his back. 

Rufus simply laughed coldly, and he turned back to Tifa.

"No, I don't care. I honestly don't give a damn about my father's death. And why should I? My father's death just means that I'll become the president of Shinra…and besides, my father was weak and had pitiful morals. If anything, I should thank Sephiroth. Thanks to him, I have finally become the ruler of the world, the wealthiest man on the entire Planet," said Rufus, sharply and coldly.

Cloud glared at Rufus, but Rufus just simply glanced at Cloud and raised an eyebrow, as cool and casual as ever. How Rufus could be so calm was beyond Cloud, but he supposed that it didn't matter now.

"As the new president of Shinra Incorporated, I officially place all of you under arrest. I'm afraid I have no other choice, but to have you all killed and executed," said Rufus, coolly.

Cloud quickly turned to face Barret, having realised that Sephiroth's attack on Shinra tonight linked back to the incident with Sephiroth five years ago.

"Get out of this building with Aeris!" ordered Cloud.

"What?" said Barret, surprised and taken aback.

"I'll explain later, Barret! This is the real crisis for the Planet!" shouted Cloud.

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" asked Barret, both bewildered and suspicious.

"Cloud, what are you going to do?" asked Aeris, anxiously.

"I'll tell you later! Just take my word for it now! I'll go right after I take care of Rufus!" shouted Cloud.

"Alright, Cloud. I don't know what the hell this is all about, but fine," said Barret, nodding, then he quickly ran off and the others followed him.

Tifa, Barret, Red XIII and Aeris all quickly made their way down to the 69th floor. Aeris suddenly stopped, looking worried, and the others turned to face her.

"Aeris, what the heck are you doing!?" yelled Barret.

"Cloud…I've just thought of something" said Aeris, uncertainly, not sure whether she should just leave Cloud by himself or not. 

Tifa walked up to her, and nodded in understanding.

"Cloud doesn't want you to be in danger, Aeris. So I'll wait here for Cloud instead. I have to stay here. Cloud might need some help. You three get to the elevator now. Get out of this building," said Tifa.

"Alright, but be careful," said Aeris, and she ran off, while Barret and Red XIII followed her and Tifa stayed behind. 

They reached the elevator and walked inside. Aeris pressed the button and the elevator started going down.

"Would you mind telling me what that the heck that was all about back there?" asked Barret.

"Tifa wants to stay. I can hardly stop her," said Aeris, shrugging. 

Suddenly, without warning, a robot called the Hundred Gunner suddenly attacked them.

It had four wheels and two guns. It shot the glass from the elevator so it could attack them. It was on an elevator opposite them, its guns pointing straight at them.

"Damn it! Aeris, you got any bright ideas?" asked Barret.

"Yeah, don't fall off the edge of the elevator," replied Aeris. 

Barret snorted in response.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII'S feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck the Hundred Gunner, stunning it a bit and slightly damaging its circuitry.

Without warning, the Hundred Gunner suddenly fired many bullets from its guns, straight at Red XIII as the bullets smashed through the elevator.

Red XIII quickly managed to leap up and dodge most of the bullets in time, but some of them still hit him and injured him severely, as Red XIII fell to the floor of the elevator, in pain from his bullet wounds.

Green light burst from the ground at Aeris's feet, as many flames appeared out of nowhere and struck the Hundred Gunner, but the flames seemed to have little effect on it.

Green light then burst from the ground at Barret's feet as many icicles appeared out of nowhere and struck the Hundred Gunner, piercing some of its armour.

Despite his wounds, red light suddenly burst from Red XIII's feet as he ran very quickly up to the Hundred Gunner, and he rammed into it hard, going straight through the middle of it, leaving a hole in it and damaging a lot of its circuitry. 

One of the Hundred Gunner's arms suddenly exploded into pieces because of this, weakening the Hundred Gunner. Red XIII leaped back to the other elevator with Aeris and Barret, and then he suddenly collapsed from his wounds.

Seeing this, red light suddenly burst from the ground at Aeris' feet. She quickly spun her staff around quickly, several times, and she suddenly fully healed all of Red XIII'S bullet wounds with some magical energy. 

Red XIII stared at her in surprise for a moment, never having seen these healing abilities of hers before, and was surprised that she trusted him now, but relieved in both aspects nonetheless.

Red XIII quickly got up and attacked, green light bursting from his feet as a bolt of lightning appeared out of the sky and struck the Hundred Gunner, damaging even more of its circuitry and weakening it.

The Hundred Gunner suddenly fired a lot of bullets from its remaining gun at Red XIII, Barret and Aeris. Barret shielded himself from the bullets using his gun-arm, the bullets just bouncing off it, while Red XIII quickly managed to dodge the bullets this time, and Aeris quickly blocked the bullets with her quarterstaff.

Green light then burst from the ground at Aeris's feet, as flames appeared out of nowhere, and struck the Hundred Gunner hard, destroying parts of its circuitry, and slowly burning up the rest of the circuitry inside it, severely weakening it.

Red light burst from the ground at Barret's feet as he charged up his gun, and fired a ball of blue energy at the Hundred Gunner, which took all the ammunition out of its gun. 

The Hundred Gunner could no longer use its remaining gun, therefore the Hundred Gunner was now helpless and could no longer attack.

Aeris quickly reached for a Materia on her quarterstaff, green light bursting from the ground at her feet as the Materia glowed brightly. Flames appeared out of nowhere and struck the Hundred Gunner, burning some of its armour.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII'S feet as a bolt of lightning appeared out of the sky and struck the Hundred Gunner, stunning it for a long while, as the Hundred Gunner was almost destroyed.

Green light burst from the ground at Barret's feet as several icicles appeared out of nowhere and struck the Hundred Gunner, piercing and damaging more of its battered armour.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII'S feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck the Hundred Gunner, taking out a lot of its armour, and severely damaging it, as the Hundred Gunner was about to explode.

Aeris quickly reached for a Materia on her quarterstaff and grasped it as it glowed brightly, green light bursting from the ground beneath Aeris' feet. Flames appeared out of nowhere and struck the Hundred Gunner, going right through the hole in the middle of it and destroying all the circuitry inside, and setting the inside and the outside of it on fire.

The Hundred Gunner exploded, wiping out the elevator that it was on, and its burning remains fell with a crash to the ground at the bottom of the huge building, just in front of the main entrance.

Suddenly, another robot flew and hovered opposite them. It was a flying robot with helicopter-like propellers on the top of it and it had some guns on it as well. 

It was called the Heli Gunner.

"Damn Shinra. Always making my life harder, ain't ya?" muttered Barret, with a snort.

The Heli Gunner fired its guns at Red XIII, but Red XIII just managed to dodge all the bullets in time as they thudded into the side of their elevator.

Green light burst from the ground at Barret's feet as several icicles appeared out of nowhere and struck the Heli Gunner, but it managed to break the icicles into pieces with its propellers, and therefore, it wasn't damaged.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII'S feet as a bolt of lightning appeared out of the sky and struck the Heli Gunner, giving it a big electric shot and damaging it badly. 

Aeris quickly reached for her Materia once again as it glowed brightly, green light bursting from the ground at Aeris' feet. Flames appeared out of nowhere and struck the Heli Gunner, but they didn't seem to have much effect.

The Heli Gunner fired its guns at all of them, many bullets flying through the air towards each of them. Red XIII, Barret and Aeris managed to dodge and block some of them, but some other bullets hit them and shot them, giving them each a few bullet wounds, and they fell to the floor in pain and agony, all of them bleeding badly.

Although in pain, Aeris slowly got up, and red light burst from the ground at her feet as she quickly spun her staff around several times and she fully healed all of her wounds, Red XIII'S wounds, and Barret's wounds, so they were no longer wounded and were not hurt.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII'S feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck the Heli Gunner, blasting some of its guns off to pieces, and destroying a lot of its circuitry, weakening it badly.

The Heli Gunner fired its guns at Aeris, who wasn't able to avoid being shot this time. Some of the bullets hit Aeris and injured her badly, as she fell to the floor of the elevator.

Barret quickly reached for a Materia on his gun-arm and grasped it, green light bursting from the ground at his feet as it shone brightly. Icicles appeared out of nowhere and struck the Heli Gunner, piercing its armour and stabbing through it, severely damaging it, and nearly destroying it.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII'S feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck the Heli Gunner hard, giving it a huge electric shot and destroying all of its circuitry and armour. 

The Heli Gunner suddenly exploded and was reduced to pieces, while Aeris healed her bullet wounds with her potions, helped by Red XIII and Barret, and she was soon fully healed and alright. Red XIII, Barret and Aeris were now all safe from harm in the elevator.


	33. Sephiroth Return: Confrontation With The...

Chapter 32 – A Confrontation With The New President 

Meanwhile, Cloud was getting ready to fight Rufus.

"Why do you want to fight me?" asked Rufus, curiously, not worried in the least. Neither was Cloud.

"Because you seek the Promised Land and Sephiroth," replied Cloud, firmly.

"Yes, exactly. Did you know that Sephiroth is an Ancient?" asked Rufus, coolly.

Cloud blinked in surprise. Sephiroth, an Ancient? Was that why he was so concerned with the Promised Land? Cloud shook his head wearily.

"A lot has happened, but I can't let either you or Sephiroth have the Promised Land," said Cloud, coldly.

"Do you honestly believe that AVALANCHE can stand up against Shinra? AVALANCHE will crumble to Shinra. You can slow down the inevitable, but you can never stop it," said Rufus, laughing coldly. 

Cloud simply glared at him.

"I don't want to fight you Rufus, but I see that I have no other choice," said Cloud, coldly.

Rufus pulled out his shotgun from his white suit, and he pointed it straight at Cloud. 

Rufus used this shotgun as his weapon.

"I see…I guess that means that we won't ever become friends or allies," said Rufus, coolly. 

Rufus attacked Cloud and the duel between them began.

"Your move," said Cloud, coldly.

"But of course," replied Rufus, coolly.

Rufus quickly reached for a Materia equipped to his shotgun and quickly grasped it as it glowed brightly, and green light burst from the ground beneath his feet. 

A transparent white wall suddenly appeared right in front of him, and it was clearly protecting him from any kind of physical injury and attack.

Rufus raised his shotgun and fired his bullets at Cloud, but Cloud quickly held his big, wide sword in front of him to shield himself, so the bullets hit the sword instead and just bounced off it, so Cloud wasn't harmed or affected.

Cloud ran up to Rufus, raised his sword, and swung it at him, but the transparent barrier in front of him protected Rufus, so the sword hit the barrier instead, and the barrier wasn't affected at all, therefore Rufus was completely unharmed.

But the attempt had left Cloud open and exposed for attack. Seeing his chance, Rufus quickly fired his shotgun again at Cloud, and this time his bullets hit Cloud on the shoulder and on his arm. 

Cloud yelled in pain and stumbled to the ground, clutching his bloody arm and shoulder, and his blood was already starting to stain his clothes.

Cloud slowly got up, still clutching his wounded arm, green light bursting from the ground beneath his feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and directly struck the barrier protecting Rufus, and smashed it to pieces instantly, leaving him now open to attack.

Rufus simply just shrugged and reached for a Materia on his shotgun again, as it glowed brightly and green light burst from the ground beneath his feet. A transparent barrier suddenly appeared in front of him, but this time it protected him from Materia attacks this time. Rufus sniggered.

Green light burst from the ground beneath Cloud's feet as a bolt of lightning appeared out of the sky and struck the magic barrier, but didn't even scratch it or affect it at all, so Rufus was still completely unharmed.

Cloud's eyes widened as green light suddenly burst from the ground at Rufus's feet as he himself grasped another Materia equipped on his shotgun.

A bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck Cloud hard in the back, shocking and stunning him for a bit, and leaving an aching scorch mark on his back. 

Rufus sniggered even more than ever. Seeing Cloud in agony was obviously amusing him, especially since he didn't even have a scratch on himself yet.

Getting angry now, red light suddenly burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he ran up to Rufus, raised his sword, and slashed the magical barrier in front of Rufus three times with powerful blows with his sword, reducing the magical barrier to pieces and leaving Rufus open to attack once again. But suddenly, Cloud collapsed to the ground from the pain in his wounded arm. Rufus smirked.

Green light burst from the ground at Rufus's feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck Cloud, leaving another scorch mark on him and injuring him even more. Cloud gasped, stunned from the pain, and was barely able to even get up, but just about managed it.

Green light bursting from the ground beneath Cloud's feet as he quickly grasped a Materia attached to his sword. Some magical energy appeared out of nowhere and fully healed Cloud's wounds and injuries, and also fully restored his health.

Green light quickly burst from the ground at Rufus's feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck Cloud, dazing and shocking him slightly and injuring him a bit, but not as much this time.

Rufus frowned a bit, and raised his shotgun, firing it at Cloud. Cloud quickly managed to block the bullets with his sword this time, raising his sword in front of him to shield himself from the bullets. 

It worked and Cloud wasn't affected or harmed at all.

Green light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he reached for a Materia on his sword and grasped it tightly. A bolt of lightning appeared from the sky, and struck Rufus, stunning and shocking him, and leaving a scorch mark on his back, and therefore injuring him.

Knowing that two could play at this game, Rufus quickly grasped a Materia attached to his shotgun as well. Green light burst from the ground at Rufus's feet, as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck Cloud, stunning and shocking him for a bit, and leaving a scorch mark on his back as well, and therefore also injuring him, but not as much as before.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he glared hard at Rufus. Rufus's eyes widened in surprise, but he had little time otherwise to react, as Cloud very quickly charged towards Rufus and swung his sword at him three times.

The first blow caught him on the shoulder, the second blow caught him on the other arm, and the third and last blow caught him on the back, leaving deep bloody slash marks where each blow had struck. 

Rufus yelled in pain, and fell to the ground, each of his wounds bleeding, and he was injured badly. Rufus slowly managed to get up and was barely able to even stand up, clearly beaten and defeated. 

Rufus wasn't a coward, but he was no fool either, and he could see that it was time for him to retreat.

"That's all for today. I would love to stay, but unfortunately, as the new leader of Shinra Incorporated, I have much to do and to sort out. A very nice evening to you all," said Rufus, coolly, and he slowly got up, jumped in the helicopter and it flew off. 

Rufus's sword wounds were, no doubt, being treated in the helicopter. Cloud quickly ran to the 69th floor where Tifa was waiting for him.

"Tifa, what are you doing here? I told you and the others to get out of here," said Cloud.

"They went on ahead. I stayed back here, since Aeris was concerned about you. So was I, for that matter," said Tifa.

"Thanks, Tifa. Now let's all get out of this place once and for all," said Cloud. Tifa nodded.

"Where's Rufus?" asked Tifa, curiously.

"I couldn't finish him. Looks like this whole thing's going to get complicated," said Cloud, and then he and Tifa quickly ran to the 1st floor.


	34. Sephiroth Return: Spectacular Escape On ...

Chapter 33 - Spectacular Escape On The Highway 

Meanwhile Aeris, Red XIII and Barret had reached the 1st floor on the elevator.

"I'll go on ahead!" shouted Barret.

Barret jumped out of the elevator as the doors slid open and headed for the exit. As soon as he burst out of the doors, he was met by a hail of gunfire from a several dozen Shinra soldiers with several guns, and barely managed to avoid them. 

Cursing, he scrambled back inside and slammed the doors shut. Barret turned towards the door, as the guards rushed towards him. Thinking fast, Barret noticed a large fuel tower outside. Firing a few bullets at the tower, a large flood of fuel quickly covered the floor outside. 

Pulling a pin from a grenade, Barret hurled it into the fuel and the grenade exploded. Flames erupted from the explosion and the fatal fusion had occurred. Guards cowered and ducked away desperate to avoid the fire, while the soldiers close to it were killed instantly.

"That's brought us a little more time, but goddamn it! We're still surrounded, huh? If I was alone, this wouldn't be a problem, but I've got a reputation to protect," said Barret. 

Aeris shook her head and stepped forwards.

"You all get out while you can. It's not you they're after. It's me. I'm sorry about all of this. This is all my fault. You guys don't need to be captured, so just go on and leave without me," said Aeris, her head bowed. Barret shook his head firmly.

"Yeah, well, that ain't happening. You got caught up in this over Marlene. You saved her life, and I owe you big-time for that. Now it's my turn to watch out for you. I promised to save you in return, no matter what, and a promise is a promise," said Barret.

Barret glanced back at the guards and soldiers outside.

"Okay, playtime's over for you, jackasses," said Barret.

"Thank you, Mr Wallace," said Aeris, gratefully, smiling.

"Who are you calling Mr Wallace? That don't sound right. My friends just call me Barret," said Barret.

Aeris nodded, but she still looked grateful all the same.

Red XIII frowned at them, and he looked very impatient.

"This is all very nice and all, but if you are both through talking, might I suggest that we think of a way to get out of this building, and find a way out of here, right now?" said Red XIII, sharply, looking from Aeris to Barret with his good eye.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure. You're a real damn cold animal, though. Just like someone else around here I know," said Barret, sarcastically.

"Did you say something?" asked Red XIII, deciding to pretend to not notice what Barret had just said. Barret didn't notice this.

"Not a damn thing. So what do we do now?" asked Barret.

As if on cue, Tifa suddenly arrived, ran down the stairs and she ran up to them.

"Tifa, where's Cloud?" asked Barret.

"Everyone over here! Come on, we've got to hurry!" shouted Tifa, urgently.

"Hey, what's up? And just where the hell is Cloud?" asked Barret, bewildered.

"There's no time! I'll tell you later! Please just follow me! Just hurry! He's coming! Come on!" shouted Tifa.

Tifa quickly led the others past the Shinra sign on the first floor and into the back lobby, where a flight of stairs led up to the third floor. 

There, Tifa saw exactly what she had been looking for. Shinra's new pickup truck only had two wheels (one at each side), but had good mileage, and was fast for a truck with the small amount of weight used up.

Tifa jumped straight into the driver's seat, while Aeris scrambled into the passenger's seat, while Barret and Red XIII piled into the back of the pickup.

Suddenly, the sound of hot metal grinding against gears ripped through the air, and the sound of tires squealing came from the second floor. 

Tifa started the motor of the pickup and shot down the stairway just in time to see Cloud on a huge motorcycle quickly barrel down the stairs. 

The bike's sizzling pistons slammed hard against the stairs as he dropped down to the first floor, but he paid no attention to it whatsoever.

Tifa tried her best to avoid the bright blue Shinra sign in front of the lobby, but instead the pickup truck ploughed straight through it, followed closely by Cloud. Cloud sped forwards, glanced at Tifa as he passed, and sent the bike flying straight out the window.

The motorcycle sailed in the air, hanging there for a moment before dropping down to the highway below, and the pickup followed, dropping down the highway with a crash, and Tifa was barely able to steady the pickup truck. 

Cloud smiled grimly as he flew past the startled soldiers and commanders, then let up on the brakes and twitched his foot to pour on the gas. The motorcycle shot off like a hot chrome rocket, blazing around the first turn with the pickup truck following behind. Even with all the noise, Cloud could faintly hear Barret's taunting and shouting at the Shinra soldiers that they had left behind them.

Eventually, the truck pulled up level with Cloud, and Aeris waved from the passenger's seat, while Tifa was driving. Cloud nodded back at her.

When Cloud looked back at Barret, though, he saw the big, black man stand up on the back of the pickup, and suddenly started to shoot behind him with his gun-arm. 

Looking back, Cloud saw several Shinra troopers behind them on bikes similar to his with rifles tucked under their arms, chasing after them. 

Barret already killed about six of them with his bullets, but the others were gaining on them fast. Pulling on the brakes, Cloud grabbed his sword with one hand, and dropped back to meet the troopers.

With one broad stroke of his sword, Cloud cleaved the front tire of one bike in half, sending both ride and rider sailing into the air, then crashing back to the ground, causing the bike to explode, killing the trooper instantly. 

Cloud rammed his bike into the trooper on his left, followed by a few hard kicks. Screaming, the trooper hit a concrete column and the bike exploded in a brilliant flash of fire, killing the trooper instantly.

Cloud spotted another trooper, and surprised him by slashing his sword straight through the bike, slicing it in half and causing it to explode, killing the trooper instantly.

When Cloud looked back to see how many other bikers there were, he saw a black mass of spikes skid up against his rear tire. Smoke and sparks flew as a huge robot sped up behind him and nearly forced Cloud right off the road.

Fire and steam pumped from the top of the huge machine as it raced forward, and Cloud was forced to put everything he had into pushing the motorcycle forward to meet up with the truck. 

Cloud and the truck managed to pull ahead of the big robot but they suddenly reached the end of the highway. There was no more road to go on, just a huge drop at the end of it. 

Cloud quickly got off his bike, and Tifa and Barret got out of the truck, just as the big robot stopped in front of them. The huge robot was a robot on six big, spiky wheels. It had some swords grafted on its robotic arms and some hot pipes.

It was called Motorball.

Motorball attacked Tifa with its sword, slashing down at her. Tifa just managed to move aside and dodge it though, so she wasn't injured.

Green light suddenly burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as icicles appeared out of nowhere and struck Motorball, piercing some of its armour.

Cloud ran up to Motorball, raised his sword, and swung it at Motorball, but it managed to deflect his sword with its own, so it wasn't affected.

Green light burst from the ground at Barret's feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck Motorball, hitting part of its armour and badly damaging it, as it penetrated a hole through it. 

Motorball used slashed its sword at Tifa once again, but Tifa easily dodged it and was able to move aside just in time to avoid it.

Green light burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as several flames appeared out of nowhere and struck Motorball, but the flames didn't seem to have any effect at all on Motorball's tough armour.

Red light burst from the ground at Barret's feet as he charged up his gun for a moment and then fired an orange ball of energy straight at Motorball, hitting it hard in the middle of its armour and exploding, blasting some parts of Motorball's armour off and badly damaging it.

Cloud ran up to Motorball, raised his sword, and swung it at Motorball, but Motorball was still able to deflect his sword with its own sword.

Motorball suddenly fired many flames of fire from its pipes at Cloud, Barret and Tifa, and struck each of them, giving them burns and scorch marks, but, although injured and aching from their burns, they still continued to attack.

Green light burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as several icicles appeared out of nowhere and struck Motorball, damaging more of its armour and leaving some holes in it too.

Green light burst from the ground at Barret's feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck Motorball, damaging and ruining some of the circuitry inside it.

Red light burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as she ran very quickly up to Motorball and punched it hard several times with powerful blows, knocking it about and causing some dents in its armour. 

Tifa suddenly did a somersault, her legs hitting Motorball hard in the middle of her somersault, and knocking it backwards and damaging more of its armour.

Cloud ran up to Motorball, raised his sword, and swung it at Motorball, slashing through one of Motorball's wheels and destroying that wheel. 

Motorball fell slightly as it lost its wheel.

Green light burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as some icicles appeared out of nowhere and struck Motorball, slightly piercing some of its armour, but otherwise not doing much.

Motorball suddenly drove towards them, and rammed Cloud, Barret and Tifa hard with its remaining wheels, and knocked them back hard onto the ground. They quickly got up, but they were injured from burns and bruises inflicted by Motorball.

Green light burst from the ground at Barret's feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky, and struck Motorball, causing a hole in a part of its armour, and damaging even more of its circuitry.

Green light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he used a Cure technique. Some magical energy appeared out of nowhere and healed himself, Barret, and Tifa, and all their burns and bruises.

Green light burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as some flames appeared out of nowhere and struck Motorball, but they didn't seem to have any affect on Motorball with its tough armour, even though Motorball was already fairly damaged.

Green light burst from the ground at Barret's feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck Motorball, causing another hole in a part of its armour and damaging even more of its circuitry.

Cloud ran up to Motorball, raised his sword, and swung it at Motorball, slashing through one of its other tires and destroying that tire. Motorball fell a little more slightly as it lost its wheel.

Green light burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as some icicles appeared out of nowhere, and struck Motorball, piercing even more of its armour, and left many marks and scratches across it.

Motorball suddenly fired many flames of fire from its pipes at Cloud, Barret and Tifa, and struck each of them, giving them burns and scorch marks, and they were injured and aching from their burns.

Green light burst from the ground at Barret's feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck Motorball, causing a bigger hole in a part of its armour and damaging and exposing even more of its inner circuitry.

Cloud ran up to Motorball, raised his sword, and swung it at Motorball, slashing through another one of its wheels and destroying that wheel. 

Motorball fell slightly again, from its destroyed tyres.

Red light burst from the ground at Barret's feet as he charged up his gun for a moment, and then fired an orange ball of energy straight at Motorball, hitting it hard in the middle of its armour, and exploding, blasting its pipes, sword-arms, and wheels to pieces.

Motorball crashed in a heap to the ground, now with no weapons and was unable to even move, seeming badly damaged and about to explode.

Red light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he quickly ran up to Motorball, raised his sword, and swung it at Motorball and slashed at it with three blows with his sword.

The three blows all slashed straight through the middle parts of Motorball and slashed it to pieces, reducing it to a pile of scrap metal. 

The remains of Motorball suddenly exploded in a great flash of light and fire, but luckily enough, it left no major damage to the area around it.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa quickly healed their burns with potions, and then walked up to the exit of Midgar along with Aeris and Red XIII.


	35. Sephiroth Return: Ahead On Our Way

Chapter 34 - Ahead On Our Way 

"Well, what the heck are we gonna do now?" asked Barret, curiously, turning to face Cloud. 

Cloud sighed wearily.

"Sephiroth is still alive. That definitely can't be good for this Planet. I have to find him. I have to settle the score between us," replied Cloud.

"And that will save the Planet?" asked Barret, doubtfully, raising an eyebrow.

"It seems like it. I'm not exactly sure, though. But there's a high chance that it might," replied Cloud.

"Alright, then. I'm going too," said Barret, filled with new determination. 

Tifa turned to face Cloud.

"I'm coming too. Like you, I lost a lot of things in the past thanks to Sephiroth. And now its time to finish him for all that he's done," said Tifa.

"I'll go too. I'm definitely coming. I have things that I want to find out. There are lots of things I need to know and discover," said Aeris.

"About the Ancients?" asked Cloud, curiously. Aeris hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Yes indeed, but that's not all I want to find out about. I need to know and discover many things that I didn't know before," replied Aeris.

"My hometown is to the west of the Planet. I will go with you all as far as that, but no further," said Red XIII, sternly.

"I guess this is goodbye then, Midgar," said Tifa.

"Yeah…and good riddance," said Cloud, darkly; as he stared out at the nightmarish city he had grown to intensely dislike over the past few weeks.

"What do you mean?" asked Barret, sharply.

"For one thing, if we leave, we might be able to dispel memories that are painful; terrible moments that occurred here, but come on, be honest. If it wasn't for the fact that Shinra were in Midgar, I doubt you, Biggs, Wedge or Jessie would ever have come here in the first place," said Cloud.

"Yeah, I guess you're right 'bout that. Anyways, now its time to escape," said Barret.

"Judging by the way that those Shinra guards pursued and attacked us back there, I doubt that we will be able to get out by wandering back up the freeway. So we will need to find another exit," said Red XIII.

"Then we use that," said Barret, pointing to a nearby crane.

"And what do you propose we do with that?" asked Cloud, raising an eyebrow.

"That crane is being used to finish building Sector 5, therefore I think that the cord shall go all the way down to the slums. Not only that, I'm sure that I can aim it beyond the gate, so we can get outside of Midgar for good," said Barret.

"Clever, so can you use it?" asked Cloud.

"I was born and raised in a mining town, so I've used this sort of stuff since I was a child, so don't worry about it. Everyone, get ready to slide down, and get out of this damn place for good," said Barret.

Barret quickly climbed into the cab of the crane and pulled a few levers before hitting a switch that sent the crane wire all the way down to the slums. 

The group carefully made their way down the wire, and after a few moments, they all had climbed over the gate of Midgar, and were finally outside of Midgar. 

There were many miles of fields outside Midgar. Cloud, Barret, Aeris, Tifa and Red XIII would begin a long journey, though they did not know it at the time.

The sun was beginning to climb over the mountains when Cloud jumped off the chain and landed on his feet on the ground, having climbed over the exit gate of Midgar. 

Barret and the others followed, each of them taking a deep breath and enjoying the fresh air. It wasn't thick and stale like the air in Midgar; it felt like you could actually breathe out here.

"You know what? This is the first time I've ever really left Midgar. I never really knew what the world looked like outside it," said Aeris, her tone full of wonder and innocent curiosity as she stared out at the fields beyond.

"Really? Are you worried?" asked Cloud, concerned.

"A little, I guess…No, maybe I am worried quite a lot. But either way, I still have my bodyguard, right?" said Aeris, grinning at Cloud.

Cloud grinned back, and nodded at Aeris, who smiled at him. Tifa scowled slightly.

"We told Aeris's mom to go somewhere safe so Marlene should be safe too," said Barret.

"Yeah, she should be," replied Cloud.

"She said that she didn't want to stay in Midgar any longer after all that's happened there recently. Maybe it's for the best…" said Aeris.

"I guess this is the start of our journey, then," said Tifa, thoughtfully.

"You hate travelling?" asked Cloud.

"I don't know…but I don't have anywhere else to go after all, so it doesn't really matter whether I like travelling or I not," replied Tifa.

"I'm going back to my hometown. I'll go with you as far as that. I'll help all of you out until I reach my hometown. But, after that, you're all on your own," said Red XIII.

"Then let's go," said Cloud, with a nod.

"We need a group leader for our journey. Every group needs a leader, ya know. And that's me. Of course, only I could be the leader. That's just how it is," said Barret, firmly.

"You think so?" asked Tifa, uncertainly. 

Aeris shook her head in disagreement as well.

"No, I believe the leader of this group should be Cloud. It should be Cloud, and no one else," said Aeris, firmly.

"I vote for Cloud too," said Tifa, nodding.

Red XIII didn't seem to care either way.

Not believing what he was hearing, Barret stared around at them all with anger and disbelief. He cursed angrily and loudly, then sighed heavily, and reluctantly agreed.

"Alright, alright. Go northeast to a town called Kalm. If something happens, then we'll meet up there. Besides, we can't have four people and an animal strolling down the fields. It's too dangerous. Split up into two groups. And if ya want Cloud to be the leader so much, then you can go with him," said Barret, turning to face Aeris.

"Yeah, me too! Uh, that is…I want to go…with…with Cloud," stammered Tifa, quickly, blushing when the others, practically Cloud, looked at her quizzically.

"Alright then. Come on, mutt," said Barret, turning to face Red XIII. Red XIII growled, but otherwise took no notice.

Cloud, Tifa and Aeris decided to go in one group while Barret and Red XIII went in the other group.

"I thought you'd do that. Later at Kalm," said Barret, with a wave and a nod.

Barret walked off to Kalm with Red XIII, and Cloud, Tifa and Aeris walked in another direction to Kalm. They walked northeast across the fields outside Midgar in the direction of Kalm.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Rufus Shinra was back in the Shinra headquarters at the 70th floor, as the mess in the building was quickly being cleaned up. 

Rufus had just recovered from his wounds in his fight with Cloud, and he was now planning how to get rid of Sephiroth, and find the Promised Land. Just then, Tseng came into the room, and he walked over to Rufus.

"Sir, everything is all cleaned up. What do we do now?" asked Tseng.

"Is Sephiroth heading for Junon?" asked Rufus.

"Yes, sir. We have reason to believe that AVALANCHE will also be heading that way, as it is the only city apart from this one that has local transportation off this continent," said Tseng.

"Then we'll go after Sephiroth there. And we'll also hold a parade there as well, as a public distraction. The parade and celebration of the new president of Shinra Incorporated – me," said Rufus.

"What about Cloud, Aeris, and the others?" asked Tseng.

"We'll deal with them later. We'll just catch them before they can get anywhere near the base. They're of no concern to us, especially compared with the likes of Sephiroth. But we can't let them get in our way either. Send two of your fellow Turks down to the Junon area to spot their location, and track them closely," said Rufus.

"Yes, sir," said Tseng, saluting.

"But, just remember. It's Sephiroth that we need to kill above anyone else. Don't get distracted by those other fools," said Rufus.

"Yes, sir. We can leave tomorrow morning for Junon. Sir, if you wish, we can hold the parade there as soon as we know that AVALANCHE or Sephiroth is there," said Tseng.

"All right. We'll leave tomorrow to Junon. All the Turks will come, as will Heidegger," said Rufus.

"Yes, sir," said Tseng, leaving the room, while Rufus stared out of the window, emotionless, left to his own thoughts.


	36. Nibelheim Flashback: Cloud Begins His St...

Chapter 35 - Cloud Strife Begins His Story 

Meanwhile, outside of Midgar, the sun cut the morning fog, vanishing it from sight. Within just a few miles, lush, green grass began to spring up and the air was a sweet scent. 

The plains outside of Midgar stretched as far as the eye could see. White clouds hung lazily in the sky, hardly stirred by the soft breeze that blew in from the valley to the east. 

It felt good to be out of Midgar after so long, Cloud thought. He had almost forgotten what a real sky looked like after seeing the dirty, polluted skies of the dark city for so long.

Tifa inhaled deeply and smiled as the fresh scent filled her lungs. Looking around, she could see the very tops of Midgar's huge towers as mere dots on the edge of the plains, set against a stretch of snow-capped mountains behind them. 

The mountain range rose high into the almost-clear blue sky, a testament to nature that proved nothing man could build would ever match the sheer majesty and awe-inspiring structures of the Planet.

Aeris felt more alive than she had in years. Colour had returned to her normally pale but beautiful face, and her beautiful emerald green eyes were sparkling in the sunlight. Not once did Cloud look back and not see a wide smile on her flawless face.

"(Is the Planet talking to her? I'm glad she could finally get out of Midgar and see the world as it really is. The last of the Ancients…shouldn't be kept up in a city like Midgar. Full of Mako Reactors and nightmares beyond belief. It even took me a while to get used to it)," thought Cloud.

Sighing heavily, Cloud hefted his backpack up higher onto his shoulders and kept walking. The sun burned warmly overhead, casting short shadows on the soft green grass beneath Cloud's feet.

"(It's certainly a good day to be out)," thought Cloud, still gazing around as they walked on.

Soon, the city of Midgar vanished behind them, and the smoke of chimney fires arose on the horizon, and then they saw a small village not too far ahead. 

"That must be Kalm. I bet Barret and Red XIII are probably already waiting for us. We shouldn't keep them waiting for too long," said Tifa.

Cloud, Tifa and Aeris then reached Kalm in a matter of minutes and looked around the small village. Kalm was tiny. Composed only of around fifteen to twenty small houses, as well as some shops, and a tiny Mako Reactor set in the middle.

Beyond the last house, more mountains jutted up out of the ground, they would make up the northern wall of the Kalm Valley outside of town.

Few people were out on the wet streets, but the air was clean. Cloud didn't think he'd ever get used to a healthy environment, no matter how much more appealing it was.

Midgar felt too much like home, and that spooked him.

"So, this is the place? We've reached Kalm," said Aeris.

"Everyone's waiting at the inn, just over there. Let's go, Cloud," said Tifa.

Tifa and Aeris walked into the inn, and Cloud followed them into a private room upstairs in the inn. Barret and Red XIII were both already there.

"Cloud, you're late," said Red XIII.

"Hey, man, you're late! Where the hell have you been, anyways!? We've been waiting for over an hour! Sure took you long enough!" yelled Barret, impatiently.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting," said Cloud, making sure that they were all alone and out of everyone else's earshot.

"So I guess everyone's here now…" said Aeris, looking around at each of them in turn, then stared intently at Cloud. So did the others.

"So let's hear ya story. You know, the one about Sephiroth and the crises facing the Planet. Let's hear it all," said Barret, impatiently.

"Alright then, you should all get comfortable, it's a rather long story. NO interruptions. I used to want to be just like Sephiroth, so I joined SOLDIER. Sephiroth was my role model back then. I looked up to him, but then again, I guess just about everyone did. He was always precise, calm, fearless and unbelievably good at fighting and all kinds of combat. After working with Sephiroth on several missions and a few battles, we became friends," said Cloud.

"You call that a friend?" asked Barret, bewildered, raising an eyebrow. 

Cloud glared sharply at him. Remembering not to interrupt, Barret quickly quietened down.

"Yeah, well, not exactly a friend, then. He was around ten to fifteen years older than me and he hardly ever talked about himself at all. So I guess you could call him a war buddy. We trusted each other though. Until one day…" said Cloud.

"One day?" asked Aeris, curiously.

Cloud nodded and continued.

"After the war, it was SOLDIER'S duty to put down any resistance against the Shinra. It was a tragic job. That was five years ago, and I was sixteen…" said Cloud, his mind relieving that scene as he told it to the others.

****************************************************************

_It all started in the Shinra headquarters, in the meeting room, five years ago. Cloud was ordered to come, so he took his seat before the head of the table. _

_Rufus, Reeve, Palmer, Scarlet and Heidegger were already sitting in the room, waiting for President Shinra to arrive. Reeve was sat to Rufus's left, while Palmer, was sat to Cloud's right. _

_Palmer was simply giggling and rocking back and forth in his chair. Cloud edged his chair away form Palmer, slightly disgusted. _

_To Reeve's left was Scarlet, who was busy filing her nails. Heidegger sat to Palmer's right and was making it his business to ignore the silly man._

_Over on Scarlet's left was Hojo. He sat in silence, his eyes always on the double doors that were the entrances and exits of the room, as if wanting to get out of the room quickly, and get back to his experiments._

_A few minutes passed before President Shinra stepped into the room, flanked by Tseng and Rude. President Shinra walked towards the front of the table through the side that Rufus sat at, while Tseng and Rude were sitting across from each other, Rude to Hojo's left, Tseng sitting with an empty seat to his left. _

_President Shinra watched the two Turks sit before taking his seat, and he eyed his executives, workers and his son (Rufus), before speaking._

_"We'll just wait a few more minutes for Sephiroth to arrive," said President Shinra, calmly._

_"No need to, I'm already here," said a low-pitched, rather cold voice._

_As if on cue, the great Sephiroth himself, the general of SOLDIER, came into the room. Sephiroth wore a black cape, and he had long, silver hair that flowed down his back, and he had glowing green eyes. He wore silver shoulder pads and he carried a long, heavy, very sharp and powerful sword called the Masumane that only he was strong enough to use and master. _

_He seemed to be about thirty years old and he was tall; taller than Cloud. He looked around coldly at the Shinra executives, and at Cloud, who was somewhat surprised to see Sephiroth come, although he had been even more surprised that he himself, a mere first-class SOLDIER, had been ordered to come to a meeting with the main executives of Shinra._

_"Welcome Sephiroth. Take a seat next to Tseng if you will," said President Shinra. _

_Sephiroth simply shrugged and sat in the vacant seat between Heidegger and Tseng. President Shinra started to speak, which would begin the meeting._

_"Well, now that everyone is here. I'd like to get this meeting started," said President Shinra, calmly, and he begun._

_"The residents of a town to the west of the Planet have been complaining about the local Mako Reactor there. It seems that monsters have been appearing ever since the Reactor started malfunctioning, and no one's been able to get close to the Reactor without getting killed," explained President Shinra._

_"And that's why you want SOLDIER to get involved," said Sephiroth, coldly, his voice deep and icy, and his tone low._

_"Yes, indeed. We are going to send you, Sephiroth, along with some Shinra soldiers to this town to check out the Reactor and sort out its problem," explained President Shinra._

_"Fine," said Sephiroth, flatly, as though he didn't care._

_"I am sending one other person with you. Cloud, I'm sending you off with Sephiroth on this mission," said President Shinra._

_"What!?" gasped Cloud, speechless._

_"I want you, like other members of SOLDIER, to have some hands-on experience with these kind of things," replied President Shinra, coldly. Cloud nodded, and fell silent. _

_President Shinra turned to face Rufus._

_"Rufus, you will be sent off to our office in Junon for about five years," said President Shinra._

_"What!? No way! I refuse to do it!" shouted Rufus, angrily._

_"You'll do as you're told or else," replied President Shinra, sharply, and coldly._

_Rufus reluctantly nodded, although he looked simply furious, and then he walked out of the room, and slammed the door so hard behind him, it was knocked it right off its hinges._

_"This meeting is over. Dismissed," said President Shinra, and he and everyone else in the room walked out. Cloud left the building and patiently waited for Sephiroth, so they could go on their mission._

****************************************************************

_A few days later, Cloud, Sephiroth and two Shinra soldiers were in a carriage on a very rainy day, travelling across the fields. Another Shinra soldier was driving the carriage and they were on their way to a town. _

_Sephiroth, of course, was in charge of the group, as he always was._

_"Look at the rain. It sure is raining hard. Hey, how are you feeling?" asked Cloud, turning to face one of the Shinra soldiers who looked very pale and white._

_"I'm alright. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," said the Shinra Soldier, although he certainly didn't look it, his face going rather white and pale, with a shade of green. Cloud noticed blond hair poking out from the edges of the soldier's helmet._

_"I wouldn't know. I've never had motion sickness before. So I don't really know what it feels like," said Cloud._

_"Hey, settle down. Just take it easy," said Sephiroth._

_"They gave me some new Materia. I just can't wait to use it. I'm anxious to try it out," said Cloud, pacing around the carriage excitedly._

_"You're just like a little kid. Grow up, you're a member of SOLDIER now," ordered Sephiroth, sharply. _

_Cloud stopped pacing and he turned to face Sephiroth, who grimaced as the blond haired Shinra Soldier with motion sickness suddenly went very white indeed and rushed to a corner in the carriage, his back to them as he threw up there. _

_Chuckling weakly after seeing this display, Cloud decided to break the awkward silence and Sephiroth's clear irritation as the blond haired Shinra Soldier sank weakly to the floor._

_"Are you going to brief us about this mission again? I didn't get the full details back at the Headquarters. Seems like we've travelled a very long distance from the base in Midgar. The lack of windows hasn't helped either, not been able to try and guess where we are headed," said Cloud._

_"Alright then, I'm only going to explain this just ONCE, so listen up or you're not going to hear anything. This isn't a typical, ordinary mission. It will be far more different than usual," said Sephiroth._

_"Good! That's great!" exclaimed Cloud, excitedly. _

_Sephiroth raised an eyebrow, not quite expecting that response from him._

_"Why do you say that?" asked Sephiroth, curiously._

_"I joined SOLDIER so I could be just like you, but by the time I made first class, the war was already over. My hopes of becoming a big hero like you ended with the war. That's why I always sign up whenever there's a big mission. Kind of like a way to prove myself. Say, how do you feel about being such a big hero anyway, mister Sephiroth?" asked Cloud, curiously._

_Sephiroth looked as though he honestly couldn't care LESS at all about it._

_"I thought you wanted a briefing about this mission?" said Sephiroth, sharply._

_"Okay, then," replied Cloud, shrugging, deciding to drop the subject, noticing Sephiroth's irritation._

_"Our mission is simply to investigate an old Mako Reactor in an area surrounded by mountains. There have been reports of it malfunctioning and producing brutal creatures. First, we will kill and dispose of all these creatures and then we will locate the problem and neutralise it," explained Sephiroth._

_"Brutal creatures? Where?" asked Cloud, curiously._

_"At the Mako Reactor near Nibelheim, in the mountains," replied Sephiroth, shortly. _

_Cloud's eyes widened in surprise and shock, and he also noticed the blond haired Shinra Soldier sit up sharply to stare at Sephiroth as well, though Cloud did not understand why he reacted like this, and instead pondered more on Nibelheim._

"Nibelheim…That's where I'm from. I was born there, it's my hometown," said Cloud. 

_Sephiroth suddenly stared intently at him with an unusual curiosity that he had never even remotely shown before. It took Cloud rather aback._

_"Hmmm…hometown. Is that so? Then you will have an opportunity to meet with your family and friends again," said Sephiroth, thoughtfully._

_"What do you think about these monster reports we're supposed to be investigating? You think there's anything suspicious to it?" asked Cloud, curiously._

_"I wouldn't be surprised if there was. If the Mount Nibel Reactor really is malfunctioning, leaking raw Mako energy into the environment, then it could easily result in rapid, unnatural animal and plant mutations. The amount of Mako exposure necessary to cause such severe mutation is far greater than the minuscule amount to which we were exposed to. Also, the Mako we were given was specially treated and purified. So don't worry. We may both be more resilient than normal, and may both have been exposed to Mako more than most, but you and I are both fully human," explained Sephiroth, confidently._

_Suddenly something gigantic crashed right into the side of carriage, making the whole carriage shake. Cloud stumbled and fell over with a cry of surprise._

_The Shinra soldiers all looked scared, expect for the blond-haired Shinra Soldier, but he looked nervous all the same and still a bit ill. Sephiroth, on the other hand, did not stumble in the least and was perfectly calm and emotionless._

_"Sir! A huge creature is attacking this carriage!" yelled a Shinra soldier, terrified._

_"That would be our monster, I presume…if I'm not mistaken, and I rarely am. It finally decides to make its appearance. Now it will not make any other ever again…" said Sephiroth, coolly, not even the slightest bit nervous or afraid. _

_"(How the heck can Sephiroth be so calm right now?)," thought Cloud, bewildered. _

_Soon, he found out exactly why._

_Sephiroth and Cloud quickly got out the carriage, ran outside and they found an extremely massive, deadly looking, green dragon that was twice the size of a house, in width, in length, and in height._

_Cloud gasped in fear at the mere sight of it, but Sephiroth was still as calm as ever. It attacked them, as Sephiroth and Cloud both grasped their swords tightly._

_In a flash, with startling and seemingly inhuman speed, Sephiroth suddenly attacked the dragon with his Masumane sword, slashing a very deep and large wound on the dragon's side, severely weakening it, and leaving a massive wound on its side, and it was bleeding very badly from its wound. _

_Its dark blood splattered onto the ground._

_The dragon shrieked in agony, and used its Flame-thrower attack on Sephiroth. The dragon breathed hot, intense flames on Sephiroth, and the flames completely engulfed Sephiroth. Cloud gasped in horror. _

_But when the flames stopped, Sephiroth was still standing in exactly the same spot, completely unharmed, and didn't even have a burn or a scratch on him. Cloud's eyes widened in disbelief and amazement. _

_To Sephiroth, it was as though the dragon had never used its flame-thrower at all. _

_As it had made no difference whatsoever._

_Cloud then charged tried to attack the dragon with his sword but despite its huge, mortal wound, the dragon was far too fast for Cloud, and it flew past him and dodged his attack with ease, and prepared to strike back at him._

_Sephiroth, however, was by far many times faster, stronger, and more powerful than the dragon (or anything else for that matter) was. _

_Sephiroth attacked the dragon in a flash, in the blink of an eye, and killed the dragon instantly with just one simple blow from his sword, which was enough to slash the dragon into pieces. Cloud stared in amazement and disbelief, his mouth hanging open in astonishment, not believing what he had just seen. Sephiroth had killed the massive and extremely deadly dragon in only two simple attacks, and had not come anywhere close to breaking a sweat. _

_He had also survived an extremely hot flamethrower without even getting a burn or a scratch on him. _

_Cloud's mind flashed back to the present time at the inn in the town of Kalm._

****************************************************************

"Sephiroth's strength is unreal, and way beyond normal. He is far stronger, faster, greater and more powerful in reality than any story or rumour that you might have ever heard about him," said Cloud. 

There was a deep silence, with everyone staring at Cloud in astonishment and disbelief. 

After a while, Barret broke the silence.

"You mean to tell us that you and Sephiroth fought together? Why would you work with him?" asked Barret.

"The truth was that I simply wanted to be a great warrior, just like him. He was strong, and fought valiantly for all those who needed help. But soon after we got to Nibelheim…that ended up changing. Tragically," said Cloud.

"So, where do you come in?" asked Aeris, curiously.

"Me? At that point, I was just completely mesmerised by the way that Sephiroth could fight. It was just…so flawless, so powerful. I just watched him fight. I never had to interfere at all, Sephiroth never needed any help whatsoever. And then, in about a few hours, we reached Nibelheim," said Cloud. 

His mind flashed back to that scene as he told it to them.


	37. Nibelheim Flashback: Homecoming At Nibel...

Chapter 36 - The Homecoming At Nibelheim 

_Cloud walked through the gates of Nibelheim, and was instantly hit with a strong sense of familiarity. Not a bit of the town had changed since he was young. _

_The gates were still rusted, the old pick-up truck wasn't running, and the old man at the inn was watching by the window, peering curiously at the unusually large gathering of people outside. _

_Cloud even saw the same old brown dog that sat outside by the water tower all day, looking old, worn out and possibly forgotten. Nobody knew who he belonged to, he had just wandered in one day. The town had sort of adopted him, but kept had him nameless for some reason._

_Sephiroth's voice snapped Cloud out of his thoughts._

"How does it feel? It's your first time back to your hometown in a long time, right? So, how does it feel?" asked Sephiroth, curiously.

_"It sure feels weird. It's been so…long," replied Cloud._

_"It must feel nice to be back home. I wouldn't know because I don't have a hometown," said Sephiroth, quietly._

_"What about your parents?" asked Cloud, curiously. _

_Sephiroth hesitated for a moment, then sighed wearily._

_"My mother was named Jenova. She died right after she gave birth to me. My father…" began Sephiroth, but then he stopped talking._

_Sephiroth hesitated, clearly uncomfortable about the whole subject, but then he laughed suddenly and shook his head._

_"What does it matter, eh? Just what have I been saying all this for? Alright then, let's get going. The smell of Mako is pretty bad here…" said Sephiroth._

_Nibelheim was a town nearby the Nibel Mountains of Mount Nibel and it had a mansion (known as the Shinra Mansion) in the town. This was the place where Cloud and Tifa grew up._

Cloud's mind flashed back to the present time as Barret interrupted him again.

****************************************************************

"Wait a damn minute! Ain't that the name of Sephiroth's mother…Jenova…? I remember Jenova! That's that damn headless spook living in the Shinra headquarters, and that broke out of the labs," said Barret.

"Yes, that's right. Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Barret. Now keep your fat mouth shut," snarled Cloud, angrily, annoyed with the interruption.

"Barret, would you please just listen to what Cloud has to say? You can ask him questions later. Just let him finish first. Okay then, Cloud. Continue," said Tifa. 

Cloud smiled gratefully at her, and she smiled back.

"But Tifa, I was only…" protested Barret, but Aeris quickly interrupted him before an argument could break out.

"It's a reunion of childhood pals!" exclaimed Aeris. 

Both Cloud and Tifa nodded in response.

"I guess you could say that. And I was really surprised by Tifa when I met her again. The town was very quiet…way too quiet. Unnervingly so. Everyone must have been staying in their houses, afraid to come out because of the monsters. No…maybe they were afraid of us…or maybe they were just afraid of Sephiroth…" said Cloud, thoughtfully.

His mind flashed back to that scene.

****************************************************************

_"We leave for the Mako Reactor at dawn. Make sure that you all sleep early. All we need is one lookout, so all of you better get some rest. We do not know what to expect in those mountains. And yes, you may visit your family and friends," said Sephiroth, turning to face Cloud._

_Cloud nodded gratefully at him, and he ran off across the town of Nibelheim._

_Looking around his hometown as he so greatly remembered it, he spotted what he was looking for in the place he was expecting it to be, and with a growing sense of excitement, he rushed over to the house he'd been looking for and walked into it after opening the door, looking around the hallway with fond recognition…_

****************************************************************

"Wait a moment, that was when I visited…my house. It's got nothing to do with what happened back then, so let's just forget about it, it's not important," said Cloud. 

He wondered why he had even bothered to begin to tell them that part of the story in the first place, and he began to continue at another point, but Barret quickly cut across him before he could do so.

"Hey, wait a second, I wanna hear about that moment you just got up to, Cloud. Come on, man, tell us about it," said Barret, seeming to be quite curious indeed towards his story, like everyone else was.

Cloud glared at him, and began to tell him that he was in no way going to explain that part to them, when Aeris now quickly cut across Cloud before he could say anything, also looking eager to hear it.

"Yeah, I'd like to hear about it too, Cloud. After all, it had been quite a long while since you'd even seen your family again, right? Please, Cloud, tell us about it. We'd like to know, as your friends," said Aeris, smiling gently at Cloud, and the others nodded in agreement.

Cloud could see that there was no talking any of them out of it, so he sighed wearily and agreed to continue where he had stopped himself. The others listened intently as Cloud spoke up again, continuing.

"Well, I don't really know if you could call what I had, a 'family'. My father died when I was very young…for some reason that my mother never explained to me…she never spoke about him much and she was hesitant on the subject, so I never asked. My mom and I lived alone at our house in Nibelheim, and after I left to joined SOLDIER, she still lived in the house at Nibelheim, but now she was living alone," said Cloud, pausing for a moment as a feeling of sadness clouded inside him.

After a moment of sad, glum silence that had occupied him, that the others couldn't fail but notice, Cloud sighed heavily, and finally continued explaining.

"Yeah, I saw my mom again on that day…as I walked into the house. My mom…she was always a strong, proud woman, and beautiful too. And when I saw her again, I could see that she hadn't changed a bit, for which I was glad for…but then…a few days later…she…she died…but when I saw her that day, she looked absolutely fine, and in remarkable health," said Cloud, his mind flashing back to that scene as he then began to explain it to the others.

****************************************************************

_Looking around the house, he suddenly noticed her, standing in the kitchen, cooking something, her back to him, but even at a glance at her back, he recognized her instantly, recognized her blond hair, and she was white apron over orange clothes that Cloud also recognized, and slowly and nervously spoke up._

_"Um…uh, e-excuse me…" said Cloud, weakly, his nerves suddenly increasing; his mother hadn't been expecting him, after all, and they hadn't seen each other for a while._

_Mrs Strife spun around to look at who had just spoken, about to demand why he was there or about to accuse him of breaking in…when she suddenly looked at him clearly, and her expression drastically changed. Her blue eyes were wide and her mouth was open in surprise. Finally, she spoke, her tone of voice sound nervously excited and stuttering._

_"Y-Yes…? C-C…Cloud!? Is that really you, Cloud!?" asked Mrs Strife, with sudden excitement, her blue eyes sparkling with sheer delight. _

_The identical colour of their hair and eyes made the resemblance between them obvious, even to strangers, let alone to each other. Cloud slowly nodded, and smiled at her._

_"Yeah…it's me, mom…" replied Cloud, quietly._

_"Oh, Cloud, welcome home!" said Mrs Strife, excitedly, as she rushed forwards towards him, and hugged him tightly. Cloud gladly returned the embrace, equally happy to see her again._

_"It's really good to see you again, mom," said Cloud, realizing then that he really had missed her…_

_Moments later, Cloud stood in the middle of the room, while his mother stood in front of him, beaming happily at him, as she looked at him._

_"Come, come, Cloud. Let me have a look at you. You seem to have grown up a lot these past two years," said Mrs Strife, staring at Cloud intently._

_Cloud stood patiently and didn't move as his mother looked closely at him, clearly astonished and marvelling how much he had grown up without her._

_"My, my, you really do look quite handsome now, Cloud…a real ladies man, just like your father was. You've gotten so tall now too, and your clothes…my, these are strange clothing. So is supposed to be a SOLDIER uniform? I'm so proud of you, Cloud, for being able to accomplish your dream by yourself," said Mrs Strife, beaming. Cloud looked suddenly awkward._

_"Mom, I…I have a confession to make…I…"_

****************************************************************

Suddenly, a bright white flash of light filled Cloud's mind, and a screeching sound appeared in his head. Cloud abruptly stopped his story, and dropped to the floor of the inn at Kalm, clutching his aching head with both hands, shaking wildly.

"Cloud!" shouted Tifa, alarmed and frantic, as she rushed over to him and was by his side in an instant, while Aeris, Barret and Red XIII had also rushed over and stared in concern at Cloud, shocked.

"Cloud, what the heck's the matter!?" asked Barret.

Suddenly, the white flash of light vanished from Cloud's mind, and the screeching sound stopped as well, and Cloud's headache no longer ached as he slowly got up, looking around at them all in confusion.

"W-What just…happened…?" gasped Cloud, putting a hand to his head, and looking very pale.

"We…we don't know, Cloud. You just seemed to collapse all of a sudden, we didn't know what had happened to you," said Aeris, looking very anxious and concerned.

"Perhaps we should take a break here, to give you some time to recover from this problem, whatever it may be," suggested Red XIII, calmly. Cloud shook his head.

"No…I'm not gonna waste any more time than necessary, so let's just continue," said Cloud.

"But, Cloud…" began Tifa, anxiously, but Cloud laid a hand on her shoulder in reassurance.

"I'm fine, Tifa. Don't worry about me," said Cloud. 

Tifa smiled and nodded slowly, still not quite convinced, but listened along with the others as Cloud continued his story, but found he couldn't remember the last bit of the conversation between he and his mother at all, so he continued on what he remembered had happened next…

****************************************************************

_"My, I still can't believe how much you've grown since the last time I saw you. I'll bet the girls never leave you alone," said Mrs Strife, with a teasing grin._

_            "No, not really," replied Cloud, shortly. His mother suddenly seemed rather anxious, and the grin faded from her face._

_            "I'm worried about you, Cloud. There are a lot of temptations in this town. I'd feel a lot better if you just settled down and had a nice girlfriend," said Mrs Strife._

_            "I'm alright, mom," replied Cloud, calmly, but his mother took no notice and did not drop the subject._

_"You should have an older girlfriend. One that will take care of you. The kind of girl who is a bit more mature than you...the type that will keep tugging at your sleeve, pull you along the way. I think that would be the perfect type for you," said Mrs Strife, thoughtfully. Cloud shook his head._

_"I'm just…not interested, mom," replied Cloud._

_Moments later, Cloud and his mother were standing in the kitchen, Cloud waiting patiently as his mother cooked dinner for the two of them, and this raised another concern from her._

_"Have you been eating right these past two years, Cloud?" asked Mrs Strife, curiously, concerned. Cloud shrugged._

_"Don't worry, I'm alright, mom. The Shinra company takes good care of its employees," said Cloud. _

_Mrs Strife smiled at that, but she also raised an eyebrow._

_"Is that so? I wasn't aware the Shinra cared that much for its workers, but I guess you'd know better about it, Cloud. I'm glad to hear you're doing alright, and that they've looked after you. I mean, you still can't cook, right? I was worried sick about how you were doing out there in…" began Mrs Strife, but suddenly yet another flash of white light filled Cloud's mind..._

****************************************************************__

The bright white flash of light filled Cloud's mind once again, and the screeching sound re-appeared in his head. 

Cloud stopped his story at once, and dropped to the floor of the inn at Kalm, clutching his aching head with both hands, and shaking, not even remotely understand what was happening.

"Ah damn it, not this shit again!" cursed Barret, as he and the others quickly rushed towards Cloud.

"Cloud, what's wrong? What's happening?" asked Tifa, frantically.

Cloud didn't answer, he was still shaking wildly and clutching his head in pain, his mind still full of the flash of white light, and he tried desperately to remember the next parts of the conversation with his mother, but only random words from her came to mind.

_"You know, Cloud…"_

_"Isn't that right, Cloud…?"_

_"I will always be your mother…"_

At these words, the screeching sound in his head suddenly stopped and the flash of white light vanished from his mind as well, as Cloud slowly stood back up, confused, and found that he couldn't remember anything more about the conversation with his mother at all. Tifa and the others watched him anxiously.

"Let's…let's just stop…talking about this part. Let's just…move ahead in the story…" said Cloud, shakily, as he stood in front of them all. The others nodded in agreement, all silent, and listened as Cloud continued to explain again…

****************************************************************__

_Cloud spent a few hours with his mother and then he went looking for Tifa. But he couldn't find her anywhere so he walked back to the inn where Sephiroth was waiting. _

_On the way to the room, he ran into an old (about fifty-five years old), grey-haired, but fit man in a red cape, whose name was Zangan. _

_Zangan was Tifa's martial arts trainer (although Cloud didn't know this at the moment). Zangan turned to face Cloud, with a curious, serious expression on his face._

_"Is Shinra here to get rid of the monsters?" asked Zangan, curiously, in a somewhat suspicious tone._

_"And just who the heck are you?' asked Cloud, sharply, ignoring the question._

_"Ah, I'm glad to see some of you Shinra people are taking their position seriously. Before you start going crazy and demanding to know why I am here, I shall tell you. I am Zangan. I travel all around the world teaching children martial arts. I have 128 students all over the world! My best student was previously a man named Rude, who is now a Turk and works for Shinra himself. In this town, a fifteen year-old girl named Tifa is my student, and she is also one of my very brightest, and most promising students. She could well become my greatest student of all," explained Zangan._

_Cloud's eyes widened in surprise and shock._

_"Did you just say Tifa?" asked Cloud, stunned._

_"I must say that I am surprised you know her, and yes, she has great, astonishing control of her abilities. Tifa has good sense and remarkable talent too. She'll become a powerful fighter some day," replied Zangan._

_Cloud didn't say anymore, and he walked past him and went upstairs into the room where Sephiroth was waiting. _

_Sephiroth was looking out of a window, a distant and thoughtful expression on his face, taking in every single detail of the town._

_"Just what exactly are you looking at out there, Sephiroth?" asked Cloud, curiously._

_Sephiroth did not turn around, continuing to stare out of the window in deep thought, but he quietly answered Cloud's question without glancing at him._

_"This scenery…Somehow, I feel…like I know this place. You have a family here?" asked Sephiroth, curiously._

_"Just my mother," replied Cloud. _

_Sephiroth sighed heavily._

_"Sometimes I wonder what I would've become if I had my mother. Would I still be the powerful, legendary warrior that I am today, or would she have driven me towards a different path? Maybe you should pay another visit to your mother. She'll be happy to see you, I'm sure. I've hired a guide to take us to the Reactor. I heard that she's young. I hope we can rely on her, but I don't know if she can be of any help," said Sephiroth._

_Cloud stared curiously at Sephiroth._

_"What's wrong, Sephiroth?" asked Cloud._

_"It's strange, but I feel like I know this place somehow. Like I've been here before," replied Sephiroth._

_Cloud stared at him, confused and bewildered. He had certainly never seen Sephiroth in Nibelheim before, and he had never heard about Sephiroth coming here before either, it would have been big news if he had come here, after all. Nevertheless, he decided to ask._

_"Ever been here before, then? Nibelheim is quite a small town," said Cloud. Sephiroth slowly shook his head._

_"I…I don't remember. But I have been all over the world. So it is possible that I might have done so," replied Sephiroth._

_"That must be quite an interesting life, travelling the world," said Cloud. Sephiroth snorted._

_"Interesting? I had no family at all, and no parents, and no friends either. And I got teased about my hair until I started to beat people up for it," said Sephiroth._

_"Oh well, that doesn't sound like much fun. Anyway, who's going on guard duty?" asked Cloud._

_"I'm not sleeping," replied Sephiroth, shortly._

_"Oh, okay. We're a bed short anyway," said Cloud._

_Sephiroth nodded and continued to stare out of the window all night until the morning came, and even then he was still staring with a faraway, distant expression in his eyes, and had still stood in exactly the same spot, facing exactly the same direction._


	38. Nibelheim Flashback: Cold Mountains Of N...

Chapter 37 - The Cold Mountains Of Nibelheim 

_They soon got some sleep, and then at sunrise, they all met up at the entrance of the mansion, which was near the road leading up to the Nibelheim Mountains, which were known mainly as Mount Nibel._

_"Once the guide gets here, we're heading out at once," informed Sephiroth._

_Tifa's father, a man with black hair and dark eyes that resembled his daughter's, walked up to Sephiroth._

_"Listen to me, Sephiroth. Those mountains are dangerous; please don't let Tifa get hurt. If anything goes wrong, if anything happens to my daughter…" said Tifa's father, anxiously._

_"Don't worry, do not be concerned for her safety. I won't let her get hurt. She will be travelling with a well-prepared group. Trust me," said Sephiroth, confidently._

_Just then, Tifa had arrived and ran up to them, wearing a cowboy hat. She was fifteen years old at that time._

_"I'll be alright, Dad. I have two men from SOLDIER with me," said Tifa, reassuringly. _

_Tifa turned to face Sephiroth._

_"Hi, I'm Tifa. Nice to meet you," said Tifa, smiling._

_"Tifa? You're the guide?" asked Cloud, surprised. _

_Tifa's eyes widened in delight when she spotted Cloud and smiled happily at him._

_"That's right. I just happen to be the best guide in town," said Tifa. Cloud shook his head firmly._

_"It's way too dangerous. I can't involve you in something like this," said Cloud, concerned._

_"Then there will be no problem if you just protect her, now will there? Let's go, we are already wasting valuable time," said Sephiroth._

_A little boy suddenly ran up to them, a camera in his hand._

_"Mr Sephiroth…could you please let me take one picture for a memento? Tifa, can you ask him too?" asked the boy, pointing to Cloud. Cloud shrugged as he, Tifa and Sephiroth stood in front of the mansion._

_"Make it quick" muttered Sephiroth, sharply, getting rather impatient._

_"Cheese!" said the boy, and there was a flash of light from the camera as he took their picture._

_"Great, thank you! I'll each give you a copy when it's developed," said the boy, and he ran off, smiling happily._

_After that, Cloud, Sephiroth, Tifa, and two Shinra soldiers (one of them was the same blond-haired Shinra soldier with motion sickness) set out on their journey to the Mount Nibel Mako Reactor, leaving Nibelheim and travelling along Mount Nibel, the huge mountains of Nibelheim._

_Withered. Whenever Cloud looked up at the mountains that was all he could describe them as. The pointed peaks of the Nibel Mountains looked completely dried up. _

_The only clouds that hung around the mountains now were thick ones that were tinged a foul green by the foul Mako Reactor that sat on top of the highest peak. _

_Could that be why the mountains looked so dead? The Reactor might as well have grabbed the once-beautiful mountain range with a fist and squeezed the Mako out of them. Massive and imposing, yet dried-up and withered. _

_That was how Cloud saw the mountains._

_Almost by instinct alone, the local, vicious beasts that roamed the mountains now avoided and feared Sephiroth like the dreaded plague, all completely terrified of him._

_Maybe it was because of the cold fire in his bright green eyes, or because they could sense the plain feeling of immense power, death and destruction that hung around the dark warrior like a cloud. _

_Whatever it was, Cloud and the others were not bothered at all by the monsters of Mt. Nibel, as the creatures seemed to run away in terror whenever they had even a glimpse of Sephiroth._

_Halfway through the pass and spanning the gap between mountain peaks was an old rope bridge that swayed dangerously in the sharp breeze that blew up from the valley far below. _

_Several of the rotted wooden planks were missing from the middle of the bridge._

_"Will this bridge hold us?" asked Sephiroth, doubtfully, but calmly. Tifa nodded._

_"Oh yes, don't worry. I'll go on ahead, and you guys just follow me," said Tifa. _

_They walked along the bridge, and they had just got to the middle of the bridge, when suddenly it started to break._

_"The bridge can't take all of us! We're too heavy! Quick, someone go back!" shouted Sephiroth, but it was too late._

_The bridge suddenly collapsed and snapped in two. Sephiroth, Cloud, Tifa and the two Shinra soldiers fell all the way to the ground and hit the ground hard. _

_Sephiroth, Cloud, Tifa and the blond-haired Shinra soldier all got up, and they all seemed to be alright, as they had no injuries and were not in pain. _

_Luckily, they had managed to fall only ten feet below the bridge, and land on the ground above the valley, just before the cliff edge over the valley. If they had fallen a little more to the right, they would have fallen right into the valley, which was apparently what happened to the other Shinra soldier._

_"That was quite the unexpected diversion," said Cloud. _

_Sephiroth snorted._

_"Yes, Cloud, it was. But it shall not affect our mission in the slightest. Anyway, everyone seems to be alright. Can we get back to where we were?" asked Sephiroth._

_"Yes, but it will be difficult. These caves are infested with monsters, just like an ant farm. Oh, and Sephiroth? There seems to be one person missing," said Tifa, noticing that the other Shinra soldier was not with them, and that only one Shinra soldier was with them._

_Cloud recognized the remaining Shinra soldier as the blond haired Shinra soldier who had motion sickness on the way to Nibelheim. The blond-haired Shinra soldier looked around for the other soldier, but could not see him in sight._

_"This may sound cold, but we've got no time to search for him, so we must continue on the path. We'll all travel together from here on," ordered Sephiroth._

_Cloud turned to face Tifa._

_"Are you alright?" asked Cloud, concerned._

_"Yes, I'm fine, thanks Cloud," said Tifa, smiling._

_"I guess we'll have to take the long way. We all have to stick together from now on," said Sephiroth._

_"I'm not sure that we'll be capable of doing that easily," said Tifa, uncertainly. Sephiroth glared at her, coldly._

_"Which is exactly why SOLDIER have been called here. Now continue telling us why this will be so difficult," said Sephiroth, his voice icy._

_"It won't be easy to get in through the cave, and the threat of monsters is still heavy in this part of the mountains," explained Tifa._

_Sephiroth looked completely unconcerned about this, and Tifa realized her naivety towards his great powers, but Sephiroth nodded all the same._

_"Alright, your concerns are noted. We had best stay close together from this point on in. Soldier; make sure that you have your gun ready and waiting. Keep the guide close to you. Cloud, you and I shall bring up the rear," ordered Sephiroth. _

_Cloud nodded in agreement, and the blond-haired Shinra soldier saluted._

_Cloud, Sephiroth, Tifa and the blond-haired Shinra soldier all walked along the path of the mountains, and they soon entered a cave. Tifa led Sephiroth and the others back into the mountains though a series of caves that were brilliantly coloured with splashes of greens, pinks, blues, and purples. _

_Each flash of colour seemed to throb from inside the rock rather than on top of it, lighting up the cave with strobes of rainbow pulses._

_"What's this?" asked Cloud, staring around the cave in awe, his eyes wide. _

_The blond-haired Shinra soldier was staring around the cave with the same sort of expression of wonder as well._

_"This is a mysteriously coloured cave," explained Tifa, though she was equally amazed._

_Sephiroth was also interested and fascinated by what they saw in the cave._

_"It must be the Mako energy affecting the cave. This mountain is especially abundant in it, and it contains quite a lot of it indeed. That's why the Mako Reactor was built here, beside these mountains," explained Sephiroth._

_They continued on through the caves. To their surprise (except Sephiroth's), the group found little resistance from monsters, and Sephiroth, alone, swiftly and effortlessly killed any creatures that were found._

_They walked to the other end of the cave and they went outside it. Past the bright cave was a small, open area full of flattened shrubs and dry, cracked twigs. _

_Cloud's boots crunched on the bones of several long-since-dead birds that had no doubt once lived in the trees that filled this small valley long ago. _

_Sitting in the middle of the open area on a short stone was a large, shimmering blue chunk of rock that sparkled and glistened in the shafts of sunlight that fell from above. It was a mysterious fountain with a bright green glow around it._

_"And what's this?" asked Cloud, curiously, staring at the fountain in astonishment and awe._

_"It's a Mako fountain, a true miracle of nature. It's Mako, only in it's infant form," explained Sephiroth. _

_Tifa stared at it in wonder, her eyes wide._

_"It's so beautiful. But…if the Mako Reactor continues to suck up all the energy, then this fountain will dry up too," said Tifa, sadly. Sephiroth nodded._

_"The Reactor will drain all the Mako from it and it will vanish," replied Sephiroth. _

_They all walked over to the Mako fountain, all of them staring at it in wonder._

_"This is made from abundant Mako energy, from the Reactor above, the main component in the manufacture of Materia. When you condense Mako energy, Materia is produced. It's extremely rare to see Materia in its natural state," explained Sephiroth._

_"You mean that in a couple of years this will turn into Materia?" asked Tifa._

_Sephiroth nodded. Tifa stood, admiring the sheer beauty of the Mako fountain, while Cloud turned to face Sephiroth._

_"I'm just curious, but why is it that when you use Materia, you can use Magic too?" asked Cloud._

_Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and frowned slightly._

_"You're in SOLDIER, and you don't even know THAT? The knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients is held in the Materia. Anyone with this knowledge can freely use the power of the land and the Planet. That knowledge interacts between ourselves and the Planet, calling up Magic. The more knowledge and understanding of the Ancients you have, the greater your potential for Magic will be," explained Sephiroth._

_"Magic…a mysterious power," said Cloud, thoughtfully. _

_At these words, however, Sephiroth suddenly laughed out loud, loudly and scornfully, making Cloud, Tifa and the blond-haired Shinra soldier all flinch, and look at Sephiroth in startled surprise._

_"Did I just say something funny?" asked Cloud, confused and puzzled. Sephiroth stopped laughing._

_"A man once told me NEVER to use such an unscientific term such as mysterious power! It shouldn't even be called Magic! I still remember how angry he was about the whole subject," said Sephiroth, thoughtfully._

_"So…just who was that?" asked Cloud, curiously. Sephiroth snorted, his eyes flashing with anger for a moment._

_"Hojo, the main head scientist of the Shinra Science Department. A weak, unstable man who is trying in vain to make his place among the great scientists of this Planet, a man with far too many mental problems of his own. He was an inexperienced, second-rate lab assistant assigned to take over the work of a legendary scientist. Hojo was and always will be just a walking mass of complexes and paradoxes," explained Sephiroth, and everyone there could easily tell that he intensely disliked Hojo._

_"A Mako fountain…so this is where the knowledge of the Ancients is…" said Tifa, thoughtfully, staring the Mako fountain in wonder. _

_They all soon continued, and walked along the path of the mountains, and they soon arrived at the Mount Nibel Mako Reactor. They walked towards the stairs leading to the entrance of the Reactor._

_However, just as they were about to jump onto the steps of the Reactor, they heard a shrill roar from behind them. Spinning around, they were greeted by the sight of a giant bird-like creature bearing down upon them. _

_Cloud dived to his left and quickly dragged Tifa clear from danger with the other, and the blond-haired Shinra soldier quickly leaped out of the way by himself, his gun in both hands. _

_Sephiroth, however, leapt right at the large creature and slashed out with his Masumane sword. The left limb of the bird was sliced off instantly, and severed in one clean motion, and it clattered loudly against the ground._

_The bird reared in anger and flew down towards Sephiroth, who, in a flash, dived at its rear and leapt onto the tail feathers before the bird or anyone could even realise what had just happened._

_Dragging his sword with him, Sephiroth waited for the ground to near before jumping clear while slashing his blade straight across the bird's throat. _

_The lifeless bird fell upon the ground, dead, in a pool of dark blood. Nowhere near close to even breaking a sweat, Sephiroth wiped his blade clean and sheathed it, before summoning the group together._


	39. Nibelheim Flashback: Monsters Of The Mt ...

Chapter 38 - The Monsters Of The Mount Nibel Reactor 

_"We finally made it here. I thought it would take forever. We sure took the long way, though," said Tifa._

_"Tifa, you wait here," said Cloud, firmly and seriously. _

_Tifa shook her head._

_"No way, I'm going inside too! I want to see inside there too! I've never been in a Reactor before, after all," said Tifa, and she started to go inside when Sephiroth suddenly blocked her entrance and gave her a cold, icy stare._

_"Only authorised personnel are allowed in here. This place is full of Shinra's industrial secrets. No one else is to know about any of them. This Reactor is a strictly classified building, only members of Shinra Incorporated may enter it," said Sephiroth, sharply and coldly._

_"But…!" protested Tifa, stuttering with indignation._

_Sephiroth turned to face the blond-haired Shinra soldier._

_"Take care of her. Make sure she doesn't take even one step inside," said Sephiroth. _

_The Shinra soldier nodded and saluted, though for some reason, he looked rather nervous of being left with Tifa. Tifa looked annoyed, while Cloud turned to face her._

_"Listen, Tifa, it's not just the fact that this place is secret, do not forget this is where the apparent source of monsters came from. We do not know what to expect inside. Sephiroth and I have been trained in the ways of combat to an extent that the enemy does not bother us. Zangan said that you are going to be a great martial artist, and I don't want you to lose your life while you are still mastering your art," explained Cloud. _

_Tifa sighed heavily and nodded._

_Without another word, Sephiroth and Cloud both walked up the stairs and entered the Mako Reactor. Tifa still tried to follow, but the blond-haired Shinra soldier quickly blocked her path and refused to let her in, shaking his head._

_"Oh, man! Better take real good care of me then! The nerve of some people! Thinking that he can just come around and tell people what they can and can't do!" snapped Tifa, frustrated and disappointed, angry with Sephiroth. _

_For some reason, the blond-haired Shinra soldier didn't reply, and he continued to block the entrance of the Reactor, looking a little anxious. Having entered the Reactor, Sephiroth turned to face Cloud, impressed by his reasoning with Tifa._

_"While your knowledge of Mako energy and Materia is severely limited, you seem to possess great awareness of people. What you said back there was good, it pointed out the fact that she may not be strong enough to face whatever lies in here, while being subtle and disguised enough to come across as a compliment," said Sephiroth. _

_Cloud saluted gratefully, considering it a great honour to be complimented by Sephiroth himself, and they both continued onwards, along the Mako Reactor._

_Inside the small Reactor, Sephiroth was halfway down the catwalk that led to the main chamber before Cloud could get down the ladder that led to the catwalk. From across the bubbling pool of Mako, Sephiroth vanished into a cloud of steam and went into the next room._

_Cloud coughed through the smelly steam and blinked, getting the tears out of his eyes. When he could see again, he found himself in a room with several levels of large, tear-shaped pods with thick windows on front, each one numbered and bar-coded. Thick, churning Mako lapped up against the pods, and the sound of heavy machinery was coming from the room at the top of the stairs._

_Sephiroth and Cloud were in the Reactor and they had soon came to a room with white metal pods, which were not see-through, and contained only a window to see inside the pods._

_There were red stairs leading up to a door. _

_On top of the door was the name – JENOVA. _

_Sephiroth stared hard at the name in surprise._

_"Cloud, do you see this? Jenova…that was my mother's name. Is this just a coincidence?" said Sephiroth, curiously._

_"Sephiroth, what's wrong? Of course it is. This is Jenova, the infamous evil, hideous creature thing that Shinra told us about, right? The lock of the door won't open," said Cloud._

_Sephiroth still stared sharply at the name on the door, and then he finally shook his head._

_"You're right. Let's just continue the inspection," said Sephiroth, his composure regained._

_They walked over to the metal pods, down the red stairs, reaching the bottom of them. They could only see into the pods by looking at a small window at the top of the pod. Sephiroth and Cloud examined the room thoroughly. Cloud looked at the metal pods, surprised._

_"Sephiroth, as far as I'm aware, there are no pods of this kind in any Mako Reactor that Shinra has currently built. So what are these, anyway?" asked Cloud._

_Sephiroth seemed equally baffled._

_"I'm not exactly sure…however, I think that I may have just located the source of the problem. It must have something to do with these pods," said Sephiroth, thoughtfully._

_He walked up to the second row of the containment pods and pointed to one of them bearing the number 5 on the door._

_"So, what exactly is the problem?" asked Cloud._

_"This is the reason for the malfunction. The part of this pod is broken. You see that trail of gas? That is releasing Mako vapour, and therefore if the valve is closed, the monsters should cease being generated. Cloud, close the valve," ordered Sephiroth, pointing to a series of wires that were snapped apart for some odd reason._

_Cloud obeyed and quickly closed the valve, then turned to face Sephiroth._

_"Something so simple like that will stop the tide of monsters?" asked Cloud, surprised._

_Sephiroth shook his head._

_"No, but it will stop the growth of more monsters. However, there will always be monsters here from now on, the chance is that the monsters already created possess mutated cells and DNA inside them, allowing them to breed. However they will not breed nearly as fast as they have been doing at present, and their life spans may be short, so they might die out quickly," explained Sephiroth, calmly._

_But then, Sephiroth frowned slightly and stared thoughtfully at the metal pods, looking around the room._

_"Why have these pods been breaking free, though? They should be sturdy enough to withstand even an earthquake. And what exactly are all these pods for in the first place?" asked Sephiroth, deep in thought, frowning, his eyes narrowed._

_At this, Sephiroth looked directly through the small window of the pod. Cloud saw his green eyes widen in surprise at what he was seeing through it, and then Sephiroth turned away and looked back at Cloud again, thinking to himself, and when he spoke, he seemed to be talking more to himself than to Cloud._

_"I see…now I finally understand, Hojo…so that's your little plan. But even doing this will never put you on the same level as Professor Gast," said Sephiroth, coldly, staring around at the pods, then he turned back to face Cloud, who was clearly puzzled, so Sephiroth, seeing this, quickly explained._

_"This is a system that condenses and freezes the Mako energy…that is, when it's working correctly. Now, what does Mako energy become when it's condensed?" asked Sephiroth._

_"It becomes a Materia," replied Cloud. Sephiroth nodded._

_"Correct, but not in this case. Hojo put something else in there instead. He was clearly planning on doing something completely different then creating Materia for the Shinra army's use. Take a look," said Sephiroth, pointing to one of the pods. _

_Cloud looked through the window of the pod, and saw something immensely horrifying and shocking._

_Floating inside the pod, inside the raw Mako energy filled inside it, was a large, monstrous, thick-skinned humanoid with several tentacles in its body that flopped lifelessly. _

_The empty eye sockets burned holes into Cloud's usually cool composure, and the dark grin on its fleshy demon-like face made a nasty shiver run up Cloud's back._

_Cloud jumped back in shock and stared at the cage, trembling in fright._

_"What the heck is this!?" yelled Cloud, shocked and horrified. Sephiroth was just as calm and casual as ever._

_"It's a Mako monster, it has been submitted to way too much Mako energy, while you have only been dosed with a slightly high amount. For you see, before this creature was ever submitted to all this Mako Energy, it was once human. Normal members of SOLDIER are humans who have been showered with liquid-formed Mako. You're different from the others, being exposed to a little more Mako, but you are still human. But, what are these creatures? They've been exposed to an alarmingly high degree of Mako. Many more times more Mako than even you," explained Sephiroth._

_"Is this…some kind of human turned into a monster?" asked Cloud, stunned. Sephiroth nodded._

_"Yes, exactly. And it's Hojo of Shinra Incorporated who produced all these monsters. Mutated living organisms, produced  and reborn by Mako energy. Humans infected and mutated by overwhelmingly large amounts of both Mako energy and Jenova cells. That's what all these monsters inside all these pods really are," explained Sephiroth._

_Cloud slowly stood up, and he stared hard at Sephiroth, as a thought suddenly just occurred to him._

_"Normal members of SOLDIER? Then, what about you? You mean that you're different from them?" asked Cloud._

_Sephiroth started to reply, but then he stopped abruptly, and his eyes widened as the full meaning of those words hit him in full force._

_At Cloud's words, almost loud enough to hear, something suddenly clicked inside Sephiroth's head. A horrible, burning sensation ripped through his brain and made his temples throb as a terrible, horrifying realization came to him._

_At these words, Sephiroth had suddenly buried his face in his hands, trembling, clutching his head tightly with his hands. A sudden, horrible realisation came to him, and he began to shake all over in fear and he was trembling uncontrollably. _

_He was suddenly very white and pale. Cloud stared at him in complete shock. He had never seen Sephiroth look so…disturbed and horrified._

_"H-Hey, S-Sephiroth…?" stuttered Cloud, stunned and shocked to see Sephiroth this way._

_"N-No…It…It can't be. Was…was I…? Was...was I created this way too? Was I born like this? Am…am I…am I just the same as all of these monsters?" asked Sephiroth, suddenly getting very angry, and clenched his fists tightly._

_Sephiroth got his sword out in a flash and slashed at the pod seven times with his sword, screaming in rage and frustration. _

_A deep, clean mark was etched into the thick steel, cut by the folded edge of Sephiroth's powerful sword each time he struck it._

_His eyes were bulging wildly, his teeth were clenched tightly, and there was a raging fire in his glowing green eyes that Cloud had never seen before. Cloud quickly jumped out of the way, and stared at Sephiroth, alarmed and terrified._

_"Sephiroth…" said Cloud, slowly, trying to calm him down. _

_Sephiroth spun around to face Cloud, a glare of pure fury and cold terror stuck to his face and burning in his now mad eyes, which made Cloud back off, trembling in fear at the very sight of him, seeing Sephiroth's usually calm and handsome face now looking very twisted and demonic indeed._

_"YOU SAW IT!! All of them were…were…were humans…" said Sephiroth, trembling in horror, his voice also shaking._

_"Human!? No way!" shouted Cloud, starting to regain his composure, but he was nervous all the same. _

_Sephiroth seemed to have calmed down, but now a hopeless, sorrowful expression was on his face, and he lowered his gaze to the floor, looking unusually sad._

_"I've always felt…ever since I was little…that I was different from all other people somehow. Special and maybe even superior in some way…but…but not like this…not like this. I never wanted to be different in this way. Am I…am I even human…?" asked Sephiroth, shaking his head in sadness and complete misery, still trembling uncontrollably._

_Suddenly, the same pod that Sephiroth had slashed several times burst open as one of the monsters broke out of the pod, and Sephiroth and Cloud took a few steps backwards in startled surprise. The creature jerked around for a few seconds, crouched forward and breathing slightly, roaring ferociously._

Sephiroth's rage suddenly snapped and burst forth, as he banished the creature to the pits of hell with only one single swipe of his sword, splitting the creature down the very centre of its body, and slicing it cleanly in two, blood splattering everywhere around the room.

_But Sephiroth was still filled with murderous rage and continued to slash the creature's remains with his sword, reducing its whole body to dust in a few seconds, while the creature's dark blood splattered all over the floor, and everywhere around the room…_

****************************************************************

Cloud's mind flashed back to the present day in the inn at Kalm, as Barret cursed angrily.

"Damn Shinra! The more I hear about them, the more I hate them!" shouted Barret, his fists clenched.

"Who would have ever thought that the Mako Reactor held a secret like that…" said Tifa. 

Red XIII stared thoughtfully.

"That would seem to explain the sudden increase in monsters lately. I think we should listen carefully to Cloud, don't you think so too, Barret?" asked Red XIII, sharply.

"Why are you talking to me!? Always blaming me for everything! Poking your damn nose where it doesn't belong! Cloud, why don't you finish that story!?" shouted Barret.

"Tifa, you were waiting outside then?" asked Aeris.

"Yeah…" replied Tifa, shortly, nodding.

"We returned to Nibelheim. Sephiroth confined himself at the inn, and refused to talk to anyone. He didn't even try to talk to me," said Cloud.

"And then, suddenly, he just disappeared from the inn, right?" asked Tifa. Cloud nodded.

"We soon found him inside the big mansion in Nibelheim," said Cloud.

"Long ago, the villagers and townspeople used to call it the Shinra Mansion. But it was vacant for a very long time, even when I was born," said Tifa.

"Long ago, people from Shinra used to leave in that mansion when they visited the town. But it was a long time ago, and that's another story. For now, Sephiroth was soon discovered, alone, inside the mansion," explained Cloud. 

His mind flashed back to that scene as he explained it to the others.


	40. Nibelheim Flashback: Sephiroth's Thirst ...

Chapter 39 - Sephiroth's Thirst For Knowledge 

_Cloud threw open the front gates, and pushed the doors of the Shinra mansion open, and was greeted by a thick cloud of dust and cobwebs. A strong smell filled his nose and mouth, as he stepped inside and shut the doors behind him._

_Cloud found a dust-covered light switch and flicked it on, causing the chandelier to flicker and spark, sending spiders scurrying for safer ground._

_Swallowing nervously, Cloud slowly ascended the curved stairway up to the second floor, his boots making heavy creaking sounds that echoed through the huge, empty house, and even more so in his own head._

_The entire mansion was deathly quiet and still._

_On the second floor, barely any light streamed in from the huge long-since smashed windows that were set all along the back wall._

_Vases of dead flowers sat outside on rickety balconies, and the dead trees that were in back rapped at the windows gently in the soft breeze outside._

_The entire house was looming and cold. It was a warm spring day outside, but everything seemed cold, dark and empty inside. Shivering, Cloud went into the small storage room and went to the corner._

_A column made up of bricks went from the floor up right through the ceiling, and it had several loose bricks in different places of it. _

_Removing one of the bricks caused the wall to open up, revealing a hidden stairway inside the column that moved out from the wall and spiralled down to the basement that had been carved straight from the rock underneath the mansion._

_The bones of several animals littered the basement hallway, and bats clung to the low ceiling, sleeping peacefully. Huge rats, the size of basketballs, scurried for cover when Cloud passed by, but Cloud tried his best not to be distracted by the morbid sights of the basement._

_At the end of the hallway was a thin wooden door, and Cloud could hear somebody pacing behind it. Opening the door a crack, Cloud saw Sephiroth pacing back and forth between a long hallway of bookshelves, and two ancient tubes. _

_A pile of books was on the desk in front of the tubes, most of them open and covered in cobwebs. Sephiroth held a book in his hands and was reading it aloud to himself while pacing around the room. _

_He did not look up when Cloud came into the room, even though he was perfectly aware that Cloud had just entered the room. Sephiroth was just far too preoccupied._

_"An organism that was apparently dead was found in a 2000 year old geological stratum. Professor Gast named that organism…Jenova. Jenova was confirmed to be an Ancient. The Jenova Project was soon approved. The N0.1 Mako Reactor was approved for use…" said Sephiroth. _

_He looked up from the book and stared thoughtfully around the room, with both burning curiosity and great sorrow._

_"My mother's name is Jenova…Jenova Project…is this all just a coincidence? Professor Gast, why didn't you tell me anything? Why couldn't you give me more answers about my heritage? Why did you have to die?" said Sephiroth, miserably._

_Cloud walked up to Sephiroth to try and cheer him up, but Sephiroth turned away from him, his head bowed hopelessly._

_"Just leave me alone," muttered Sephiroth, miserably. _

_Cloud had never heard Sephiroth speak with so much emotion in his usually deep, cold voice before, so he nodded respectfully and obeyed, he just simply couldn't see what else to do, and he left Sephiroth alone, although Cloud was still very worried and anxious indeed, and not just for Sephiroth…_

_The next few days afterwards seemed to pass as quickly as they came. Sephiroth didn't once come out of the Shinra Mansion at all. He continued to read all day and night, non-stop, as if he were possessed by something._

_He read every single book and file in the library of the mansion, reading each and every single page thoroughly as if desperate to find the answers to his existence. _

_Not once did he ever stop to do anything else at all. And not once did the light in the basement ever go out. Sephiroth had always been a little cold and distant before, but this was very different from how he had ever acted. _

_Cloud could easily tell that something was horribly wrong._

_Cloud constantly got more and more worried, and he went to the back to the mansion, back to the basement, to see what Sephiroth was doing. _

_As he was walking along the basement, the bats suddenly flew pass him, shrieking, flying straight out of the basement and out of the mansion. Cloud realised that they were completely terrified about something in the basement. _

_("Is it Sephiroth?") thought Cloud._

_Shaking his head wearily, Cloud entered the library, and then he heard Sephiroth laughing._

_But it was a strange, odd laugh that didn't sound like Sephiroth's usual laughter at all. It sounded deep, sharp, unnervingly cold, horribly cruel and hideously disturbed. It sent a nasty shiver down Cloud's spine. _

_Cloud stopped walking as he found Sephiroth sitting at a desk in the abandoned library, looking at a pile of books. Sephiroth looked up when he heard Cloud come in, giving him an angry and icy stare. His eyes were full of a terrible madness that Cloud had never seen before._

_"Who is it!? Oh…it's you. You traitor," said Sephiroth, coldly, glaring hard at Cloud._

_"Traitor…?" said Cloud, confused and bewildered, not having a clue what Sephiroth was talking about._

_Sephiroth seemed somehow…different. Unnervingly so. _

_Cloud suddenly felt edgy, something about Sephiroth was making him very nervous. _

_No, not just nervous. Downright afraid. _

_Sephiroth laughed scornfully, and he looked hard at Cloud._

_"You ignorant traitor. You truly know nothing, do you? Then I shall tell you the story of the Ancients…or rather, the Cetra, as they called themselves. This Planet originally belonged to the Cetra. They would migrate, settle on the Planet and then move on. At the end of their harsh journey, they would find the Promised Land and supreme happiness. But those who disliked the journey appeared," explained Sephiroth, pausing for a moment before continuing, but in a much more angrier and enraged tone._

_"Those who stopped their migrations, built shelters and elected to lead an easier life. They took what the Cetra and the Planet had made without giving anything back in return!! Those are your ancestors," explained Sephiroth, pointing an accusing finger at Cloud, and glaring darkly at him with intense hatred, a raging fire burning in his eyes._

_"Sephiroth…" said Cloud, taken aback and taking a step backwards in shock, at how terrifying Sephiroth was now starting to seem._

_"Long ago, disaster struck this Planet. Your ancestors escaped. They survived because they hid, like the pathetic, rotten cowards they truly were. Sacrificing the Cetra saved the Planet. The Cetra lost their lives in the battle to save the Planet. The Cetra sacrificed themselves to save you worthless, pathetic creatures!! After that, your ancestors continued to increase and multiply like a virus. Now all that's left of the Cetra is in these reports," explained Sephiroth._

_"But, what does that all have to do with you? Where does any of this fit in with what we found out at the Mako Reactor?" asked Cloud, bewildered. _

Sephiroth snorted, his expression and tone now full of scorn and angry impatience.

_"As well as ignorance, your kind possesses remarkable stupidity. Haven't you already figured it out yet!? An Ancient named Jenova was found in the 2000 year old, geological stratum. The Jenova Project was soon organized after that. The Jenova Project wanted to produce a person with the very powers of Jenova, of the Ancients, no, the Cetra. I am the one that was produced…" explained Sephiroth._

_Cloud eyes widened in shock and he stepped backwards in horror and disbelief._

_"Produced!?" yelled Cloud, alarmed and thunderstruck._

_Sephiroth nodded, a completely serious and firm expression now on his face._

_"Yes…Professor Gast, the leader of the Jenova project and genius scientist, produced me. My purpose is nothing more than a mere experiment," said Sephiroth, coldly._

_"H-How…? How did he…? S-Sephiroth…?" stammered Cloud, speechless with shock, horror and dumb disbelief._

_"I have no idea how they did it, all I know is that Jenova is my only link. Stay out of my way. I'm going to see my mother," said Sephiroth, sharply and coldly, and he suddenly threw Cloud out of the way, sending him flying straight into a section of books in the library._

_Cloud crashed headfirst into the books, and the whole shelf of books fell on top of him. Cloud laid there, dazed, for a while, his heart pounding in horror along with a headache as he watched Sephiroth leave the room._

_Sephiroth left the basement room. Cloud quickly left the room, but Sephiroth had already vanished and was nowhere to be seen inside the mansion. _

_Cloud quickly ran out of the mansion, but nothing had prepared him for what he would find outside. A horrible, extremely nasty and very unexpected sight met Cloud's eyes that would haunt him for the rest of his life._


	41. Nibelheim Flashback: Firey Destruction O...

Chapter 40 - The Fiery Destruction Of Nibelheim 

_The entire town of Nibelheim was on fire. Huge, very hot flames were on and in all the houses, and some of the ground was also on fire. _

_Cloud could feel the intense heat of the flames. It felt like fire slowly burning him. The flames were spreading everywhere, with growing intensity and size, and felt even hotter than standing next to a massive bonfire._

_Some people were lying dead on the ground with wounds caused by a sword – Sephiroth's sword - and many more people had died inside the houses in the flames, their remains still burning. Cloud quickly ran along the burning village. _

_Zangan (Tifa's martial arts trainer) was one of the very few people who survived the horrible massacre. Cloud looked around to see the blond-haired Shinra soldier (who had come with them to the Mount Nibel Reactor) lying injured on the ground. Cloud ran over to him to check if he was alright. _

_The soldier was alive, injured and unconscious, but luckily it seemed that he would live to see another day. Cloud got back up, and searched for more survivors, but there were none in sight. Zangan turned to face Cloud._

_"Hey, its you! You're still sane, right? Then come over here and help me!" shouted Zangan. _

_Cloud nodded, seeing the sense in this, and he quickly ran over to him._

_"I am sure there are still some people alive in these burning houses. I'll check this house. You check that one over there," said Zangan._

_He quickly ran in one of the fiery houses to check for survivors. Cloud checked another house but there were clearly no survivors, only more and more flames._

_Cloud saw his own house burning to the ground, and with horror, ran inside it to try and save his mother. But he was already too late. Walking out of his burning house, Cloud shook his head in despair, and he wiped some tears from his eyes as he stared around at the burning massacre that had befallen Nibelheim._

_"Terrible…Sephiroth…this is just…too terrible…you bastard, I swear that you'll pay for this!!" screamed Cloud, wiping tears from his eyes. _

_Indeed, it was Sephiroth who had set the whole village on fire using a very powerful attack from one of his own Materia that was attached to his Masumane sword._

_Suddenly, Cloud spotted Sephiroth. He was standing not too far ahead of Cloud. Sephiroth got his sword out (the Masumane) and slashed and killed four people who were standing nearby, their blood splattering on the ground._

_The flames roared greedily behind Sephiroth as he slowly brought his gaze up and glared hard at Cloud. A slow, evil smile crossed his lips as the fires flickered in his cold, pitiless green eyes. Still smiling cruelly, evilly, Sephiroth slowly whirled around and vanished straight into the flames. _

_It didn't matter, though. Cloud knew where he was going, and he quickly ran along Nibelheim, dodging the flames, and ran as fast as he could towards Mount Nibel._

_Eventually, Cloud arrived at the Mount Nibel Mako Reactor, and ran into there as fast as he could, expecting the worse. He ran along the Reactor and to his surprise, he found Tifa there._

_Tifa was kneeling over the body of her father, who was lying on the floor. He was dead. Tifa was sobbing, crying, and shaking her father's dead body desperately._

_"Papa…Oh god no. Wake up, papa. Please wake up," said Tifa, depressed, upset and in tears. _

_Then rage and anger suddenly overcame her._

_"Sephiroth!? Sephiroth did this to you, didn't he!? Sephiroth did this to you and he will pay! Sephiroth, SOLDIER, Mako Reactors, Shinra, everything!! I hate them all!!" screamed Tifa, and brushing her tears off her face, she quickly got up and ran along the Reactor._

_Tifa picked up Sephiroth's sword, the Masumane, on the way to the room in the Reactor with the metal pods. Sephiroth had carelessly dropped his Masumane sword. Tifa arrived at that room and found Sephiroth outside the red door at the top of the red stairs._

_"Mother, I am here to see you. Please open this door. I won't let anyone ever hurt you again," said Sephiroth._

_"How!? How could you do that to papa and all of the townspeople!? You murderer!!" screamed Tifa. _

_She ran up the stairs to Sephiroth and tried to use Sephiroth's own sword against him. But Sephiroth was the only one powerful enough to use his sword. _

_Tifa found that she couldn't use the sword at all; it was far too heavy and long for her to use. She couldn't even lift the sword. Sephiroth now stood right in front of her._

_"YOU FOOL!!" roared Sephiroth, angrily, and Tifa soon discovered that she was no match for him, and nowhere even near close to matching his strength and power._

_Sephiroth snatched his sword back easily with amazing speed from Tifa, before she had even realised it, and he slashed her straight across her chest with his sword. Tifa fell down the red stairs, and fell hard onto the floor, covered with blood._

_Cloud arrived just as the red door opened up and Sephiroth walked through the door at the top of the stairs. Cloud quickly ran over to Tifa, fearing the worst. _

_Amazingly though, Tifa was still alive and unconscious, but she had a nasty cut right across her chest, and she was bleeding badly. Cloud held her softly and carefully tired to wipe as much blood off her as he could to steady the bleeding, but it was still spreading alarmingly fast._

_"Tifa, wake up. Oh please, god, just let her wake up," said Cloud, desperately. _

_Tifa slowly opened her eyes and smiled up at Cloud._

_"Cloud…?" gasped Tifa, weakly, her voice barely audible._

_"I'm here, Tifa. Just relax. You're going to be fine," insisted Cloud, nervously, stubbornly refusing to believe otherwise._

_"I-I…I knew t-that you would c-come. I…I wasn't sure at first, but n-now I k-know," said Tifa, smiling, but winced in pain from doing so._

_"Just relax, Tifa. Everything will be okay," said Cloud._

_"Y-You p-promised…that you'd come…t-to save me…when I was…in t-trouble," said Tifa, and then she fell unconscious._

_Cloud gently picked Tifa up, carried her in his arms, and he carefully laid her against one of the pods so she could rest. He gently made sure that Tifa was alright, kissed her on the cheek, and then ran up the stairs, and ran through the door into the room where Sephiroth was._

_Sephiroth was standing in front of a large containment vessel. A large stone statue was blocking the large vessel and he couldn't see what was behind it, but didn't have to. He already knew what was there._

_"Mother, let's take this Planet back together. I've thought of a great idea. Let's go to the Promised Land," said Sephiroth. _

_Just then, Cloud had suddenly arrived, bursting through the red door in a clear fit of rage and despair._

_"SEPHIROTH!! My family! My hometown! How could you do this to them!?" screamed Cloud, devastated. _

_Sephiroth didn't turn around, his back was still to Cloud, but he laughed madly and insanely, without even the slightest remorse whatsoever._

_"Ha, ha, ha! They've come again, mother. With her superior power, knowledge and magic, mother was destined to become the ruler of this Planet. But they…those worthless creatures…are stealing the Planet from mother. They are seeking to take the Promised Land away from her. But now, I'm here with you, Mother, so don't worry. Everything will be different from now on. Together, we will be strong, and we will stop those ignorant traitors," said Sephiroth._

_Sephiroth suddenly ripped and smashed the statue apart with his own bare hands, shattering the statue to pieces. They now saw what was inside the large glass tube. Sure enough, it was none other than Jenova itself._

Jenova was a terrifying, hideous monster, unlike any other that was ever imagined in the universe. But at this time (unlike five years later), she had her head. The head was just as hideous and as monstrous as her body.

_Jenova's skin was blue and she had a big experimental helmet on her head, labelled JENOVA on the top of it. Jenova appeared to be unconscious, but Cloud didn't give a damn about that whatsoever._

_Sephiroth was laughing, loudly, coldly and so insanely that it sent a chill down Cloud's spine. Cloud clenched his fists angrily and snarled._

_"How can you just laugh like that!? What about my sadness!? My hometown, my mother and Tifa, all taken away from me! It's the same as your sadness!!" screamed Cloud, still extremely upset and now he was getting very angry, his fists clenched tightly as he glared with intense hatred at Sephiroth._

_Sephiroth spun around to face Cloud, but he still merely laughed cruelly and scornfully._

_"Ha, ha, ha! My sadness? Just what do I have to be sad about? I am the chosen one. I have been chosen to be the ruler of this Planet. I have orders to take this Planet back from you stupid people for the Cetra. In my veins courses the blood of the Ancients! I am one of the rightful heirs to this Planet! My mother with all of her ancient knowledge was supposed to rule the Planet 2000 years ago, and yet she never got the chance. Well, now I am the chosen one, the one chosen to revive the legacy of the Cetra, to restore the rule of my mother. So, what exactly am I supposed to be sad about?" asked Sephiroth, coldly and sharply, laughing cruelly and mockingly._

_"Men have always been foolish, selfish, and some are even evil and insane, but I never thought that I would class you among them. Sephiroth…I trusted you. No!! You're not the man you were! You're not the Sephiroth I used to know!!" roared Cloud, angrily. _

_Cloud took out his sword and began to fight. _

_Sephiroth took out his sword and got prepared as well._

_"Do you really think that your weak blows will stop such a powerful being like me!?" laughed Sephiroth, cruelly, filled with pitiless scorn._

_Cloud simply glared at him and didn't answer. He knew that Sephiroth was perfectly right, but right now, Cloud didn't care at all, he didn't care about anything anymore. He just wanted to cause as much pain to Sephiroth as possible, not caring how much he got hurt in return._

_They both started to battle and the flashback suddenly ended, as Cloud found that he could remember no more. _

_Cloud's mind flashed back to the present in the inn at Kalm as he finally finished telling his tale to the others._


	42. Midgar Plains: End Of A Fascinating Stor...

Chapter 41 - End Of A Fascinating Story 

"And that's the end of my story," said Cloud, shortly.

"Wait a damn minute! Ain't there more!? How can you just end it there!? What happened to Sephiroth!?" protested Barret, angrily, shaking his fist.

"I don't remember. I wish I could tell you all more, but that's all I can remember," replied Cloud, wearily.

"So what do you think might have happened to Sephiroth?" asked Aeris, curiously.

"Well, in terms of skill, I couldn't possibly have killed him," replied Cloud.

"Official records state that Sephiroth is dead. I read it in the newspaper," said Tifa, firmly. Aeris shook her head.

"Shinra Incorporated owns all the newspapers, so you can't rely on that information. I wouldn't trust anything they say on the matter," said Aeris.

Tifa nodded in agreement, realising her point. Cloud looked grim and thoughtful.

"I want to know the truth. I want to know what happened back then. I rushed in and challenged Sephiroth himself, and yet…I lived. Why didn't he just kill me? Surely for him to survive, I would have been killed. I was allowed to live, but why was that?" asked Cloud, bewildered, fully aware that no one else in the room had an answer to it.

"I'm alive too…but what's obvious right now is that Sephiroth vanished five years ago, and has chosen to resurface now, at this point in time," said Tifa.

"But a lot of this still doesn't make any sense, though. What about Jenova? From what you've all said before, it was in the Shinra Headquarters, right?" asked Aeris, curiously.

"Shinra must have shipped it from Nibelheim to Midgar, to keep it in their headquarters, experiment on it, and examine it thoroughly," said Cloud, thoughtfully, nodding.

"Did someone else carry it out after that? It was missing from the Shinra Headquarters after Sephiroth attacked, if you remember," said Aeris.

"Could it have been Sephiroth that took Jenova? Is that why he went to the Headquarters?" asked Tifa, thoughtfully.

"Damn! Don't none of this make any sense at all!? I'm going, going, gone! And I'm leaving all the thinking to you!" shouted Barret, irritably.

He started to run out of the room, but then he turned back and faced Cloud and the others, looking both angry and extremely impatient.

"Cloud! Let's get a move on! Come on, let's go! I ain't letting no Shinra and no Sephiroth get to that Promised Land, otherwise we'll all be screwed!" shouted Barret.

Without another glance or word, Barret quickly ran out of the room, and he ran to the entrance of the inn, barging noisily down the stairs.

"Oh brother…" sighed Cloud, shaking his head. 

Tifa walked up to Cloud, and she laid her hand gently on his shoulder, looking up at him, seeming both curious and strangely anxious for some reason.

"Cloud? Just how…how bad was I when Sephiroth cut me?" asked Tifa, curiously, almost hesitantly.

"You were in a very bad way. I honestly thought that you were going to die. I was really sad," replied Cloud, sorrowfully.

Tifa nodded, a concerned and strangely worried expression on her face, while Aeris also seemed to be deep in thought, her head bowed.

"The Ancients…the Cetra…Jenova…Sephiroth…and myself. We could all be the same. I have to find out the truth once and for all," said Aeris, determinedly.

"Let's go. Barret's waiting," said Tifa.

"Right at this moment? Shouldn't we get some rest first?" asked Cloud.

"We've been in one place here for far too long, and don't forget that Shinra are likely to already be hunting us, and I don't want anything bad to happen to us…or worse," explained Tifa. 

Cloud nodded in agreement, seeing her point.

"Alright then. Judging by what is on this side of the Planet, it's likely that Sephiroth is headed to the nearest place to here in the opposite direction of Midgar. The only other major city on this continent is southwest of here. The city of Junon. That must be where Sephiroth is heading. The pursuit is on," said Cloud.

Tifa and Aeris both nodded, as they both clearly understood that this would be only the beginning of a long search for the great Sephiroth himself.

"What a fascinating story…" muttered Red XIII, thoughtfully, also deep in thought, and was silent for a while.

Cloud, Tifa, Aeris and Red XIII all walked out of the room, and they walked down the stairs, to the entrance of the inn where Barret was waiting.

"Hey, Cloud. Here, take this," said Barret, and he handed Cloud a PHS. PHS was a mobile phone, which could be used in any distances.

"PHS will put us in constant contact with each other," explained Red XIII.

"But don't use it too much though, it uses the same frequency as the Shinra phones. We don't want to risk them tracing us," said Barret.

"Can't argue with that. Did you find out more information about the land?" asked Cloud.

"I've heard that the place has a lot of mountains that are in between Midgar and Junon. It will be difficult to journey across them, that's for sure," said Barret.

"I figured as much, but I also heard that there are mines nearby the mountains that grant passage to Junon. Maybe we could travel through those," suggested Cloud. Barret nodded.

"Good plan. Alright then, we should get out of here," said Barret. Cloud nodded, and they all walked out of the inn.

Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Barret and Red XIII brought more Materia from the Materia shop in Kalm. They brought enhanced weaponry from the weapon shop. After that, they all left Kalm and continued their journey.


	43. Midgar Plains: Riding The Chocobo

Chapter 42 – Riding The Chocobo 

The vast plains soon gave way to the deep valley, bordered on the north and south by a tall chain of several snow-capped mountains. 

Already far in the east, the faintest hint of night could be seen, and the first few bright stars were starting to make an appearance on the horizon. Even the large, near-full moon was hanging low in the sky, hiding behind the mountain range.

"(Our first night out of Midgar, I didn't think we'd ever come this far. I thought for sure, at one time or another, that Shinra would be the death of us all)," thought Cloud. 

This time, he was more than glad to be wrong.

Behind them, the stars were being blotted out by oncoming storm clouds. No doubt there was a huge thunderstorm shaking Midgar to its core right now. 

The storm would sweep over Kalm by dawn tomorrow, and hit Cloud and the others that afternoon. Hopefully, they could find the Chocobo Ranch before the storm broke over them. 

A Chocobo wouldn't be cheap, but it would greatly speed up travel. They might even manage to catch up to Sephiroth before he got to Junon.

"I think I can just about see the Chocobo Ranch from here," Tifa said, pointing eastwards.

The very top of a large, white barn could be seen against the sun over the next hill. Nodding in agreement, Cloud started off over the hill.

The Choco Bill and Choco Billy Chocobo Ranch was a family-owned business that had prospered for generations between the family line.

The large white barn with the crude Chocobo painted on the front took up a large part of the farm, and the fresh smell of newly cut grass and a mixture of Gysahl and Mimet Greens wafted from the open double-doors.

In front of the barn was the Chocobo pen, where four wild Chocobos were prancing about on their tall, skinny legs, 'warking' at each other and scratching at the ground. 

Off to the side was a small house, with a long trail of smoke pouring out of the chimney. A well sat in the front yard, full of clear spring water.

Cloud's memory flashed back to the Chocobo training he had gotten all those years ago while in SOLDIER. Chocobos themselves were about seven to eight feet tall, and were covered in bright yellow feathers. 

Almost all of them had either sparkling blue or dark almond eyes, and made a "wark" sound whenever they spoke (obviously they couldn't talk). 

Their long, skinny legs were bent backwards, making them overall look like rather large, yellow, very cute, but extremely fast birds. 

"Big damn chickens," said Barret, as he looked around at the Chocobos. 

Aeris looked extremely fascinated as she watched the Chocobos, and Barret, Tifa and Red XIII also waited by the Chocobo pen while Cloud went off to buy a Chocobo.

Inside the small house, Cloud found a short, balding man with a black cap on, pouring over several stacks of papers. Notes were being scribbled down, and some ugly curses came from the table. This man was Choco Bill.

When Choco Bill heard Cloud come in though, his mood lightened almost immediately, and he greeted his customer with a warm smile.

"Well hey there, what can I do for ya? Thinking of crossing the marshes?" asked Choco Bill.

"Well, yeah. I guess so," replied Cloud, shrugging.

"Then it will be safer for you to get a Chocobo. That way, you can zip through the marshes with the Chocobo. It's the only way to avoid being attacked by the Midgar Zolom," explained Choco Bill.

"Midgar Zolom?" asked Cloud, confused and bewildered.

"It's a massive snake-like creature, over thirty feet tall! It picks up on footsteps that enter the marshes. And then…BAMM, it attacks! To avoid that, buy a Chocobo at the Choco Bill and Choco Billy Chocobo Ranch. To purchase a Chocobo, please talk to my grandson. He's in the Chocobo stables in the barn. By the way, there was another person heading towards the marshes as well. Without a Chocobo, the Midgar Zolom probably got him. It was a man in a black cape," explained Choco Bill.

Cloud's eyes widened in surprise and shock.

"Which way did he go!?" asked Cloud, urgently.

"Across the marshes into the old, abandoned Mithril Mine," replied Choco Bill.

"Alright then, that's our next destination," said Cloud, turning face to the others, who had all just come in. They all nodded in response.

Cloud quickly ran out of the small house, as Tifa, Aeris, Barret and Red XIII all followed him. They all went into the barn, and they soon found Choco Billy (Choco Bill's grandson) at the stables, just as Choco Bill had said.

Choco Billy, a short kid with straw-coloured hair and a load of freckles, looked up at them all, and he grinned pleasantly up at them, but Cloud couldn't help but distrust this kid slightly, suspicious of his business motives.

"Do you want to buy a Chocobo here or something?" asked Choco Billy.

"Yeah, give me one," replied Cloud, firmly.

"You old folks are out of luck!" said Choco Billy, laughing slightly and slapping his knee.

"Old folks?" asked Cloud, confused and bewildered.

"We're fresh out of Chocobos right now. I'm taking care of all those ones out there for someone else who's already reserved them all. You know, if ya really want a Chocobo, you should go out and catch one. Want to know how to catch a Chocobo?" asked Choco Billy.

"How do I catch one?" asked Cloud, curiously.

"A wild Chocobo always appears out in the wilderness with other creatures, which are usually always monsters. But, ya won't be able to catch it because of the other creatures there are bound to interfere. That's why you must quickly defeat them first before ya can catch the Chocobo. Also, wild Chocobos are really cautious. They'll run away from the slightest things. But if ya use plants, they'll focus on that instead, and they won't run away from ya while they're busy eating. Well now…shall we get down to business? I'll sell you the Chocobo Lure Materia for two thousand Gil, right now," said Choco Billy.

"W-What?! That's insane! We'd be able to rent a boat from Bone Village and sail to Junon for cheaper than that!" snapped Cloud, angrily. Choco Billy simply shrugged.

"Well, if that's how you feel…" said Choco Billy.

"No, wait! We'll take it," said Tifa.

Cloud was about to protest, but he realised there would be no use talking Tifa out of it anyway. Cloud reluctantly brought the Chocobo Lure Materia from Choco Billy for two thousand Gil.

"Thanks! It wouldn't hurt to buy some plants, either. How fast a Chocobo will eat depends on what type of plant you feed it," said Choco Billy.

Cloud brought three Gysahl Greens from Choco Billy. They were green Planets (or vegetables) that Chocobos eat, costing one hundred Gil each.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Sephiroth was now entering the marshes and travelling through them, simply walking through them by himself, his Masumane sword shining brightly at his side, since he had managed to get it back from the Shinra Headquarters by simply levitating it back to him with his mind.

Sephiroth crossed the swamp about halfway when he saw a dark ripple in the water only a hundred yards from him, and closing fast. 

Sephiroth simply held his ground as the long, massive form of the Midgar Zolom reared up out of the water, slithering as it stared down at him, ready to strike. 

Sephiroth simply held his ground, staring up at the huge, gigantic snake coldly, not even the very slightest bit worried or concerned. He drew his Masumane sword from its sheath.

The Midgar Zolom lowered its head to strike, but before it could even blink or move an inch, a blinding flash flew across its line of sight. 

Sephiroth was attacking the thing with amazing speed, strength and accuracy, slicing the Zolom under the chin, down the belly and finally stabbing it through the head. 

It took only a split second for Sephiroth to kill the Midgar Zolom, and the creature was dead before it had even realised what had happened. 

Blood dripped from the Masumane and from the dead snake's body, turning the greenish swamp water to dark red.

Sephiroth simply dipped the Masumane in the clearer water behind him, and wiped it off with a cloth from his pocket, and then sheathed it. 

Sephiroth calmly picked up the body of the thirty-foot long dead snake, and carried it along behind him as if it weighed to him no more than an empty bag.

Sephiroth walked along the swamp, dragging the huge, dead body of the Midgar Zolom along with him, which he did with ease, even though any other person wouldn't have been able to move the snake even an inch.

On the other side of the swamp, there was a small pocket of dry land tucked back into the mountains that was the entrance to the cave. It was there Sephiroth was headed. He was suddenly bending back a tall, slender tree. 

Not an old thick one, but not a small thin tree either, not by any means. It bent back to the breaking point, and his Masumane severed it from the trunk the rest of the way, then he set about chopping the branches from it, making a long thin spear. 

Sephiroth set one end in the ground, and he floated up to the top, holding the Zolom's head, and impaled it on the sharper end of the makeshift pike. More dark blood ran down the length of the pike, and pooled around the base, where its long body was coiled around the trunk of the tree. 

Sephiroth knew that AVALANCHE was following him, so he was simply using this as a warning. After setting up this little display, Sephiroth simply walked on, out of the swamp, past the mountains, and onwards to the city of Junon.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Barret and Red XIII soon left the Chocobo Ranch, and they quickly made their across the plains, away from the Chocobo Ranch and towards the marshes, but they needed to find something first. 

Cloud had equipped the Chocobo Lure Materia to his sword, but after the group searched for what seemed like hours, no Chocobos seemed to be appearing. After a while, Cloud's patience finally ran out.

"Damn it! Does this stupid rock even work at all!? Some bright idea this was," said Cloud, angrily, glaring at Tifa.

"Don't give up just yet, Cloud. I'm still sure that this is bound to work. Just give it some time," said Tifa, patiently.

"Time!? We've been looking for hours! How much more time do you expect this thing to work!?" snarled Cloud, irritably, and he threw the purple Chocobo Lure Materia to the grassy ground in anger, fuming.

Shaking her head slightly, looking both hurt and defiant, Tifa bent down to pick up the Chocobo Lure Materia when it suddenly glowed brightly, a shiny purple glow that matched its colour. Tifa picked it up and stared at it, attaching it to her fighting glove.

"What do you think it's doing?" asked Tifa, staring at the purple Materia as it still glowed brightly.

"Well, I would say it's having its effect. Look over there," said Red XIII, pointing across the field with his paw. The others all followed his gaze.

Just in front of them, was none other than a Chocobo itself, which had been walking slowly towards them, staring transfixed at the glowing Materia. 

But as the glow of the Chocobo Lure Materia finally went out, the Chocobo stopped immediately, and became fully aware of the group of people that stood in front of it. The Chocobo now stood dead still and stared cautiously at them with an unwavering gaze.

Just nearby, however, were also two Elfadunks, which instantly snarled and attacked the group on sight, charging towards them. 

Elfadunks looked like small, blue but mean, nasty elephants with large razor sharp tusks. The Chocobo could sense that a fight was going to break out, and bent its legs slightly, preparing to run for it.

Seeing this, Cloud quickly and frantically threw a Gysahl Green towards the Chocobo before it could run for it, and the Chocobo watched as it landed just before its feet, and looked down at it. 

Its company forgotten for a moment, the Chocobo lowered its head, and happily chewed the contents of the greens, while the Elfadunks charged menacingly at the warriors.

Aeris quickly launched into action as an Efladunk charged straight towards her, and holding her weapon tightly and thrusting it in front of her, she attacked the Efladunk with her quarterstaff, hitting it hard, breaking its skull and killing it in one blow. The Elfadunk fell with a crash to the ground, dead.

Having finished eating its greens, the Chocobo glanced back up at the warriors and the monsters, and it suddenly sensed a strong urge to retreat from this conflict, something that Cloud, with his Mako enhanced senses, instantly noticed again.

Cloud quickly threw another Gysahl Green at the Chocobo, and the big yellow bird watched as the greens landed at its feet, and once again, the Chocobo lowered its head and chewed happily on the greens, its troubles forgotten again.

With a furious roar, the other Elfadunk quickly raised its trunk, and water shot right from it, and hit Cloud with surprising force, but he just about managed to protect himself for the most part with his sword by shielding it right in front of him.

Cloud could see that the Chocobo was almost finished eating the greens, and Cloud had no more left to feed it, so the Chocobo would soon run away for sure. Cloud decided that he urgently needed to finish this fight now.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he ran up to the Elfadunk, and slashed it with three powerful blows, slicing it to pieces and killing it instantly. 

They had managed to catch the Chocobo, which had finished eating the greens, and was apparently under the impression that the danger had passed, as it walked over to them, 'warking' happily, and it certainly seemed to be quite friendly all of a sudden.

Aeris smiled happily at the Chocobo, and patted it softly, and it seemed quite as fond of her as she seemed to be of it, as she played around with the Chocobo for a moment, as Barret and Red XIII watched her and the Chocobo, bemused. 

Cloud and Tifa stood facing each other, and Cloud felt both stupid and ashamed, while Tifa seemed to be patiently waiting for an apology, her gaze unwavering as she stared back at him.

"I still can't believe that you made us sell that much money just for that rock," muttered Cloud, glancing at the Chocobo Lure Materia that Tifa was putting away into her backpack.

            "It just seemed like such a good idea at the time. And it worked too, didn't it? You just had to give it some time, that's all, like I was telling you from the start," said Tifa.

            "Yeah…yeah, I know. Tifa, I…I'm sorry…for taking my anger out on you, back there. It's just that…if we waste too much time, Sephiroth will get further and further away from us, and then it will be too late to stop him succeeding in whatever plan he's up to," said Cloud. 

Tifa smiled softly and laid a hand on Cloud's shoulder.

            "It's okay, Cloud, I understand how you feel. Don't worry, we will find Sephiroth and stop him, we just have to stay optimistic and work together on this," said Tifa.

Cloud nodded, his gaze still not leaving Tifa's, and her gaze not leaving his either, and they both stared at each other, both transfixed by the other's gaze, and finding themselves moving closer and closer…

"Hey, you guys, what the heck do you think you're doing, eh?" snorted Barret, laughing slightly, and Aeris was giggling as well, both of them clearly amused, while Red XIII just lay impatiently on the grass with his paws in front of him, and the Chocobo just stood still, looking at them all.

Startled by this reminder that they had company, Cloud and Tifa both jumped backwards and broke their gaze, while Aeris and Barret still sniggered. 

Tifa's head was bowed, but Cloud still noticed the crimson that had suddenly flushed her face, and Cloud tried his best to keep his composure as he looked at them all.

"Anyway, now that we have the Chocobo at last, we should get going right now, to the marshes. We'll be able to avoid the danger there, on this Chocobo, so there'll be nothing to worry about. So come on, let's get going," said Cloud.

The others all agreed, and they soon got back to journeying across the fields again. Cloud, Tifa, Aeris all got on the Chocobo and sat firmly on it, while Barret and Red XIII walked alongside it, and they headed straight towards the marshes.

They managed to get past the marshes without running into the Midgar Zolom, but strangely, it also didn't seem to be there either, as there was no sign of it. Cloud and the others got past the marshes and they went along the path once again.

Several long, painfully boring hours later, the Chocobo stopped to rest as night appeared. 

Barret was snoring loudly, much to Cloud's annoyance. Red XIII was not asleep, but howling at the moon. Aeris was snoozing peacefully on the grass. Tifa was close to joining her, but Cloud sat with his face buried in his knees, muttering to himself. 

"(So much for fast travel)," thought Cloud, bitterly. He could almost see Sephiroth roaring with laughter at him right now.

When they all woke up, it was well into the morning when the steady beat of the Chocobo's hard feet against the soft grass turned into a squelch when it hit the marsh weeds. 

Clumps of weeds reaching Cloud's knees sprouted up out of the ground, and the marsh was littered with dead trees, most of them had toppled over with deep grooves in the trunks. 

Tifa had fallen asleep on Cloud's shoulder, and Aeris had also dozed off shortly after that. Both of them were snoozing peacefully and ignoring the marsh weeds as they tickled their legs. Barret and Red XIII were alert though, and walking either side of the Chocobo across the marshes.

Cloud blinked and shook his head, keeping the fuzzy feeling in his eyes out of mind. He was due for a long rest himself, and it seemed like every movement had to be carefully thought out. 

Thinking was also blocked by a thick fog, and he seemed distant from himself, separated, as if moving his hands were the result of somebody else moving them for him. He had to sleep before he passed out on the Chocobo, and steer them to who knows where.

From the north, the storm rolled lazily and loudly around the mountains surrounding the marshes, and began to close in on the swamp as well. 

Thunder boomed ominously behind Cloud, and silvery forks of lightning shot down from the sky, striking the marsh and setting dead, dry trees alight with tongues of red and orange flames, but luckily, none of it reached the group.

Looking up, Cloud saw the thick grey clouds gather overhead, and with a massive crash of thunder, the sky opened up and let the rain come in cold, grey sheets. 

The Chocobo skittered nervously at the sound of the pouring rain and booming thunder, but "warked" softly and kept on going nevertheless.

As the marshes slowly receded, the storm seemed to increase in its intensity. No wonder, the mountains curved around to the far west shore of the continent and come to a bowl where the Mythril Caves were. No doubt, the storm had gathered here, blocked by the mountains, and was now settled here. It might rain here for days.

Cloud gently shook Tifa, who awoke with a groan and looked around, blinking. With a yawn and a stretch, she awoke Aeris, and hopped off the Chocobo.

"Where are we?" asked Tifa, rubbing her eyes.

"Mythril Caves," replied Cloud, flatly, dismounting. 

He gave Aeris a hand off the large bird and then gave it a final pat on the head before setting it loose. Warking happily and nipping Cloud's ear, the Chocobo ran off back into the storm.

A sudden, horrified scream from Aeris made Cloud whirl around in the soft grass and pull his sword free in one fluid motion. He took two great strides to plant himself in front of Aeris and gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

Looking around, he saw nothing but the storm and the edge of the marshes. Nothing until Aeris pointed at what she was staring at, and just managed to stifle another scream.

Cloud and the others immediately saw what terrified her, and they all felt nasty chills crawl down their spines, as they all gaped in shock and disbelief at the sight in front of them.

Impaled at the throat of a tall, dead tree was a huge, gigantic, dead black snake. The Midgar Zolom. Its smooth scales shimmered in the flashes of lightning behind it, and the rainwater caused a trickle of blood-tainted mud to pool into several puddles at the roots of the tree.

The Midgar Zolom's mouth was dangling open uselessly, both fangs snapped in half and lying on the ground, half-buried in the mud. 

Green venom was still spraying from the hollow tubes inside the teeth, sizzling the ground where it hit and sending a strong stink into the air.

"Did Sephiroth do this?" asked Cloud, astonished and stunned, feeling a nasty chill of fear.

"Amazing…" gasped Tifa, speechless, her mouth hanging open in shock and disbelief.

"Holy shit! I guess we don't have to worry about the snake no more, huh?" said Barret, obviously shocked, and even he was spooked at the sight he was seeing.

Aeris clung to Cloud's arm in fear, shaking wildly.

"Our enemy is someone that can do this?" said Aeris, in disbelief, her eyes wide and fearful.

Cloud nodded, a dark, grim expression on his face.

"Only Sephiroth is that strong. There's no doubt that this is his work. And even this is level of power is nowhere near of what he's truly capable of. If the words of Palmer at the Headquarters and Choco Bill at the Ranch weren't good enough for you, I'm sure that the sight of this is. Sephiroth is very much alive, and he's heading for Junon," replied Cloud, grimly, fully serious.

But despite this warning, despite them all being scared witless by it, neither Cloud or any of the others refused to give up hope, and none of the others would not leave Cloud by himself, so they continued along the path, and they soon came to a cave, though all of them were still stunned and horrified by what they had seen back there.


	44. Midgar Plains: Mythril Mines

Chapter 43 - The Mythril Mines 

The Mythril Mines were dark and foreboding. Streaks of lightning shot down from the stormy skies outside, illuminating the caves for a split-second, and casting long shadows across the silvery walls that were packed full of metal and coal. Crates of old mining tools were lying about, abandoned long ago due to the increase in monsters across the area. 

Cloud didn't see how any of the miners from Kalm could get down here unless they had Chocobos. Then again, most things had seemed much less surprising after leaving Midgar. 

The storm raged outside, causing the very mountains to shake with each crash of thunder as it rolled across the sky and slammed into the mines like a giant hammer. The sharp, chill wind that blew in from the entrance did nothing to improve the already-cold, stale air inside the mines. 

Cloud's breath froze in front of him in small clouds, only to disappear into thin air after hitting the low ceiling. Already, his nose and ears were beginning to turn numb. 

Behind him, there was much sniffling and shivering from Tifa, who was definitely not dressed for this kind of weather in her shirt and short skirt, and there was plenty of angry cursing coming from Barret. 

Aeris, though, was seemingly untouched by the chill, and Red XIII had his red fur to keep him warm. Whereas Cloud's nose and ears were beginning to turn red, Aeris looked like she had just walked out of a warm spring day rather than a pounding storm, probably because of her abilities as an Ancient.

Suddenly, Cloud thought he heard something. The others clearly heard it too.

"Did you hear that? Sounds like voices. Are there any miners left in here?" asked Tifa, anxiously.

"I don't think so. This mine has long been abandoned. It could be spies from Shinra," said Red XIII, grimly.

Peering down the next long corridor in the cave, Cloud seriously doubted it was anybody from Kalm. Even Junon was too far away for a miner to come here. 

A snarl crossed the Cloud's face as he stepped out into the corridor and spotted two of the Turks. Rude and Elena (who was a new Turk and the only female Turk) were standing just in front of the other entrance of the cave that would lead to Junon.

Elena wore a dark blue suit (a Turk uniform), which was neat and tidy, not a bit out of place, and she had blond hair and brown eyes. She worked for Shinra, just like the other Turks. 

Elena had just recently joined the Turks, and she was now working with Rude, Tseng and Reno. She had a special talent of throwing any type of grenade or bomb flawlessly, with amazing accuracy, so she never missed her target when throwing a grenade or a bomb.

"Just a second!" shouted Rude, sharply, as he spotted Cloud and the others, who all immediately came to a halt in front of him, and stared coldly.

"By any chance, are you…one of them?" asked Aeris, suspiciously.

"Do you know who I am?" asked Rude, curiously. Cloud nodded, with a snarl.

"You're from the Turks, right? You're that guy I need to get revenge on for the elevator incident," replied Cloud, flatly.

"Well then, if you know me, then this won't take too long to discuss. It's quite difficult indeed to explain what the Turks do," said Rude.

"Kidnapping, right?" snarled Cloud, darkly. Rude frowned.

"To put it crudely, I guess you could say that. But that's not all there is to it anymore," said Rude.

Suddenly, he fell silent, as if he wasn't too comfortable with saying anything else. Then a female voice spoke up

"It's alright, Rude! I know you don't like speeches, so don't force it!" shouted Elena.

"Alright then, Elena. In that case, you try and explain it to them," ordered Rude.

"Of course. I'm the newest member of the Turks. My name is Elena. Thanks to what you guys did to Reno at Sector 7, we're short of people at the moment. But because of that, I got promoted to the Turks. It's a mixed blessing, I guess. In any case, our current job is to find out where Sephiroth is headed and what he's up to. And also to try and stop you guys every step of the way. No…wait a minute; it's the other way round. You're the ones who are getting in our way," explained Elena.

Suddenly, Tseng arrived, stepping through the other entrance of the cave, shaking his head irritably.

"Elena, you talk far too much," said Tseng, scornfully.

"M-Mr Tseng!?" said Elena, jumping in surprise, startled to see him. 

Tseng, of course, was the leader of the Turks, so he was also Elena's new boss as well. Elena secretly admired Tseng and she even had a crush on him too, though he was completely obvious to it.

"There's no need to tell them about our orders," said Tseng, sharply, his eyes narrowed.

"Sorry, Tseng," muttered Elena.

"I thought I gave you other orders. Now, go. Don't forget to file your report," ordered Tseng, sharply.

"Oh, right! Very well, Rude and I will go after Sephiroth, who's heading for Junon Harbour!" declared Elena.

"Elena, you don't seem to understand. Stop revealing our orders and information to the enemy," said Tseng, sharply, his voice icy.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry," stammered Elena, embarrassed as she realized her mistake.

"Go! Don't let Sephiroth get away," ordered Tseng.

"Yes, sir!" said Rude, saluting.

"Yes, sir!" said Elena, also saluting. 

With another glance at Tseng, Elena quickly ran off to Junon Harbour and out of the cave. Rude was about to follow her, but then he stopped as a thought occurred to him, and he glanced back at Cloud, his expression firm.

"Reno said that he wanted to see you after the injuries you gave him healed. He wants to show his affection for you all, with a new and improved weapon," said Rude. 

Without another glance at them, Rude ran out of the cave, and ran towards Junon Harbour. Tseng walked towards Cloud and the others, turning to face Aeris.

"Well then…Aeris, long time, no see. It looks like you've got away from Shinra for a little while, now that Sephiroth has reappeared again. Shinra won't be concentrating on you until he is out of the way," explained Tseng, coolly.

"So what are you saying? That I should be grateful to Sephiroth?" asked Aeris, sharply and suspiciously. 

Tseng frowned slightly, raising an eyebrow.

"No, of course not. Well, I won't be seeing too much of you for quite a while of course, so just take care," said Tseng, gently, smiling slightly at her.

"Strange, I would never have expected to hear something like that from you," said Aeris, surprised and taken aback, staring at Tseng, while he looked back at her.

"Well then, just stay out of Shinra's way and don't interfere," said Tseng, warningly, and he walked out of the cave towards Junon Harbour.

Cloud waited a moment after watching Tseng go, then lifted himself up to the exit followed by the others, and they all stepped outside. The skies were once again blue and clear. 

The dark wall of storm clouds was breaking up to the southeast; they would reach Junon Harbour and disappear completely. 

The sun hung high in the sky overhead, burning down and drying up the water that was soaked into the muddy grass. The warmth felt good against Cloud's skin after being in that cold cave, and he was glad to see the sun again.

Sighing, Cloud continued along the plains towards Junon, followed by Aeris, Tifa, Barret and Red XIII. Junon Harbour was far to the east from here, and even in this good weather, it would take several days to get there, at best.

Cloud began to wish he still had the Chocobo that they released on the other side of the Mythril Mines; it would certainly make the journey a lot faster. 

Cloud and the others began to make their way across the fields, heading straight for Junon, where Sephiroth was supposed to be going to, as the words of the Turks had confirmed.

Suddenly, as they were still travelling along the fields to Junon, they suddenly saw a mysterious girl charging towards them, clutching a gigantic four-spiked boomerang in her hands, and as she reached Cloud and the others, she raised her arm up with her weapon, and prepared to swing it down to strike.


	45. Midgar Plains: Meeting Yuffie

Chapter 44 - Meeting Yuffie 

This girl was sixteen years old, had black hair and dark eyes. She wore a dark green shirt with white shorts and a blue bandana. Her name was Yuffie Kisaragi. 

Yuffie seemed to be carrying a four-spiked boomerang as her weapon, which was called a Shuriken, and she was a highly skilled ninja, though not many would have guessed it by her appearance.

Yuffie charged forwards to attack the startled group, clearly thinking them harmless, and she must have prayed on other travellers as well.

Seeing that there was no chance of taking the girl out of this fight, Cloud drew his sword in front of it, and the others also readied their weapons as the girl prepared to strike.

The girl suddenly lowered her Shuriken and grabbed at it with her hand, and Cloud was mystified for a moment, until he realised that she was reaching for a Materia that was attached to the Shuriken, and Cloud knew this could mean nothing good.

Green light suddenly burst from the ground at Yuffie's feet as she grasped a Materia equipped on her shuriken, which had flared to life with a bright green glow, and Cloud's belief was soon confirmed.

Circles of flames suddenly appeared out of nowhere around each of them and struck them all, giving them all many burns and injuries in an instant, and then the flames vanished.

Tifa, Aeris, Barret and Red XIII all fell to the ground in pain, while Cloud winced from the burns and stumbled, rather surprised. Yuffie was a lot tougher than she looked.

Although injured with several painful burns, Cloud quickly charged towards Yuffie, who was clearly started to see that he was still standing, and this caught her off-guard, as Cloud raised his sword and swung it at Yuffie, slashing at her arm and causing a wound in it.

Yuffie screamed in pain and fear, her arm rapidly bleeding, and she fell to the ground, unconscious, and didn't move at all, her arm still bleeding badly from its wound.

"Just who is that kid?" asked Tifa, bewildered.

"Cloud, do you know her?" asked Aeris. 

Cloud shook his head. Although she had been quickly beaten, Yuffie certainly had a lot of potential and skill in battle, Cloud noticed.

Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Barret and Red XIII healed their burns and injuries with potions. Barret was still cursing with rage, however, and he might well have attacked Yuffie right there if Cloud hadn't restrained him in time. 

Apparently not angry whatsoever, Aeris knelt down in front of Yuffie, who still laid unconscious on the field, and chanted to herself, and green light suddenly appeared around Yuffie, fully healing Yuffie's sword wound. 

Cloud recognized Aeris' healing technique as the same one she used to help him after he fell from the reactor bridge and when Corneo's lackeys had shot him, but it still never ceased to impress him all the same, and the others were also looking on in amazement and awe. 

Aeris stood back up, as Yuffie quickly regained conscious, and noticing Cloud and the others standing around her, she sprang up at once, surprised and stunned.

"Man…I can't believe that I just lost…" muttered Yuffie, shaking her head. She turned to face Cloud, angrily.

"You spiky-headed jerk! One more time, come on, let's go, one more time!" shouted Yuffie, clenching her fists and swinging them at thin air. Cloud merely snorted.

"Not interested, kid. I don't know what you're doing way out here in these fields, but this time you picked the wrong guy to mess with," said Cloud, getting bored.

"I am NOT a kid! I'm Yuffie Kisaragi of Wutai, Master Materia Hunter of the world! So just give it up before I have to pound you into oatmeal, you stupid big moron! Thinking of running away? Stay and fight, I say! Come on then, what's the matter? You're pretty scared of me, huh?" said Yuffie, sniggering triumphantly.

"Petrified…" muttered Cloud, sarcastically. 

Yuffie missed the sarcasm and smirked.

"Just as I thought. Well, what would you expect, with my skills? Good luck to you guys too. If you feel up to it, we can go another round some time. Anyways, see ya later! I'm really going to leave now…" said Yuffie, starting to walk away.

"Hey, wait a second!" protested Cloud, surprisingly the others by stopping her, as he ran in front of her and stopped her in her tracks.

Yuffie stopped walking at once, and raised an eyebrow, looking rather surprised but not annoyed, and the others walked over to them. Glancing at them all curiously and suspiciously, Yuffie finally spoke up.

"What is it? You all still have something for me? So is that it then? I know! You all want my help and company now because I'm so good! You all want me to go with you…isn't that right?" asked Yuffie.

"That's right," replied Cloud, nodding, surprised by how quickly Yuffie seemed to have guessed it.

He thought that Yuffie's skills might just come in handy for their journey later on. Yuffie nodded thoughtfully, looking around at them all.

"I thought so. You've all put me in quite a tight spot, that's for sure. What should I do now then, I wonder? Well…if you guys really want me to come that bad, then I can't refuse! Alright, I'll go with you!" declared Yuffie, looking quite pleased at the prospect of going with them for some reason.

Cloud and Aeris were both glad about her joining them, while Tifa was a little more doubtful and suspicious of Yuffie but otherwise wasn't really complaining, and Red XIII didn't seem too pleased about her joining up with them but he would tolerate it with no problems it seemed. 

Barret, however, was completely against Yuffie going with them, having quickly developed a strong sense of dislike for the young ninja, and Yuffie clearly disliked him as well, and soon both Cloud and Aeris had to step in before an argument could brake out between Yuffie and Barret. 

Eventually, Cloud and Aeris managed to talk Barret round, and he reluctantly agreed to Yuffie coming with them, though Cloud could tell that there would still be a good deal of dislike and trouble between the two, as Barret and Yuffie glared at each other, each ready to fight the other. Cloud decided to take action, and stepped forwards.

"Let's hurry on. We've got to get to Junon soon, so let's just get going now," said Cloud. 

The others, except Yuffie, all nodded and started to continue their journey across the fields towards Junon, leaving Yuffie behind for a bit, until she quickly ran after them, caught off guard by their abrupt departure.

"Hey, wait! Hey, wait up! Wait for me!" shouted Yuffie, and soon enough she caught up with them, and the unique group of six warriors continued on their journey to save the Planet.

Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Barret, Red XIII and Yuffie all headed straight for Junon, still travelling across the vast fields, and they would all arrive there fairly soon.


	46. Junon: The Great Fortress Of Junon

Chapter 45 - The Great Fortress Of Junon 

Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Barret, Red XIII and Yuffie all walked northwest for a while across the fields, and they finally came to the Junon town, which was underneath the big city of Junon that Shinra had built above it.

"What happened to this town? It's so run-down," said Yuffie, looking around.

Indeed, that was what the town looked like. The entire fishing village was composed of less than ten houses, and most of them were vacant on the second floor. 

The streets were unpaved and slick with rainwater. Almost all of the houses were little more than shacks, with peeling paint and broken windows. Even the dust and cobwebs that populated the corners of houses were old. 

Few people walked the muddy streets, and most of those that did were bent with age and looking rather disheartened. On the whole, it was a very small town, and there was no sunlight other than the streetlamps because of the city above blocked the view of the sky from it.

"We have to get into the Shinra military base in the city of Junon. Ever since they built that city above here, the town became this way. We have to get into the military base. That's the only way to get onto a ship. But I don't know how we can do that," said Cloud.

"I'm not sure, but maybe I do. Maybe if we just ask someone here to help us to the city, then we'll find a way there to get into the Shinra military base," said Aeris.

"Alright, I guess we should try it. It's the only option we've got," said Cloud.

 They walked further along the town, still staring all around it. Looking above, they all realised that the city above was built right into the very cliff-face itself.

"Man, now that's what I call impressive," said Yuffie.

"Yeah, it's an interesting place to build a city. Seems more like a fort. And look at the way the sea is. The people behind it have created a barrier that lets the sea roll up to the higher level, and yet the lower level is underneath the gate. Meaning that there are in effect two coastlines," explained Cloud.

"Why would they do that?" asked Yuffie, puzzled. 

Red XIII shook his head.

"I don't know, but I don't fancy climbing the fifty feet to the city above. We had best descend the cliff and find a way into the city. I expect there will be far less Shinra guards around this town, as well," said Red XIII.

They walked further along the town and walked down some red steps. They came to a tiny beach with only a small section of sand to stand on and it was nearby an electrical tower. There was water around but it sure didn't seem like the sea. 

The shores of Junon Harbour were cool and calm without the warm sun to shine on it from overhead. The end of a long runway blocked the sunlight all except at sunset, and by then, it was too cold to enjoy the view. 

Also, the entire town smelled like old fish and raw Mako. It might just have smelled worse than even Midgar. A little girl, about nine years old with brown hair and wearing a pink bathing suit, was standing by the water.

"Hey, Mr Dolphin!" shouted the little girl. 

A dolphin swam up to her. The little girl smiled warmly at it.

"My name is Priscilla. Now you say it," said Priscilla. 

Just at that moment, Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Barret, Red XIII and Yuffie arrived. Priscilla turned to face them, and for some reason, she didn't look too pleased to see them.

"Who are you guys? Are you members of Shinra? Are you going to tell me that the coast is off-limits now too?" asked Priscilla, suspiciously, frowning.

"No, calm down," said Tifa.

"We have nothing to do with Shinra," protested Aeris.

"Yeah, we're against the Shinra! We hate those corrupted bastards!" shouted Barret.

"That's how it is," said Cloud, with a shrug.

"I don't believe you! Get out of here!" snapped Priscilla.

"Oh great…" muttered Cloud, annoyed and frustrated.

Suddenly, there seemed to be something coming right towards them. It was coming very fast and it seemed quite big by the sound of it.

"What's that!?" shouted Aeris. 

A massive water snake-like creature came into view, and headed straight towards them, about to attack.

"Be careful, Mr Dolphin!" shouted Priscilla. 

She ran in to help the dolphin but the water snake-like creature hit her hard with its tail, and she fell face down into the water, unconscious. She didn't move, and she was sinking fast under the water.

"Let's go! We have to save her!" shouted Tifa, horrified.

"Hey! Hold on, we're coming!" shouted Cloud. 

He ran to the creature and attacked, along with Yuffie and Aeris, while Tifa dived into the water and swam underwater, urgently searching for Priscilla before she could drown, while the creature was distracted.

The creature was called a Bottomswell.

The Bottomswell suddenly attacked and quickly slapped Cloud hard across his face with its tail. Cloud grunted in pain, and stumbled backwards but he just managed to avoid falling over although his nose was bleeding.

Getting angry, red light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he ran quickly up to the Bottomswell, raised his sword, and swung it at the Bottomswell, slashing its body three times with powerful blows, leaving three bloody scars and sword wounds across its body. The Bottomswell shrieked in agony.

The Bottomswell suddenly slapped Aeris hard across her face with its tail. Aeris cried out in pain and stumbled backwards, but she soon got back up, despite the fact that her nose was now bleeding.

Red light burst from the ground at Aeris's feet as she spun her quarterstaff around several times and fully healed herself, Cloud and Yuffie using some magical energy, and all their injuries were fully healed.

Green light quickly burst from the ground at Aeris's feet just as she'd finished, and a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck the Bottomswell, stunning it for a bit and giving another mark across its body.

Yuffie suddenly raised her Shuriken and swung it at the Bottomswell. The Shuriken went straight towards it with amazing speed and slammed hard into the Bottomswell hard, slashing it's skin with its sharp edges, and then went straight back to Yuffie like a boomerang.

Yuffie easily caught her Shuriken with one hand, while the Bottomswell shrieked in pain from the bloody slashes across its body caused by the Shuriken.

Green light burst from the ground at Aeris's feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky and struck the Bottomswell, giving it another mark across its skin and stunning it for a bit, but not for long.

The Bottomswell suddenly shrieked loudly with rage and spun around several times in the water, causing a wave of water to suddenly surface, as it washed right over Cloud, Yuffie and Aeris, knocking them hard backwards, and making them a little dizzy and water logged.

It had also washed Tifa back hard onto the shore. She had not found Priscilla yet, who was still somewhere deep in the water. Tifa quickly dived back in the water and quickly continued to search for Priscilla.

Yuffie raised her Shuriken and swung it at the Bottomswell, and the Shuriken slashed across its skin, giving it yet more bloody scratches as the Shuriken was flung back to Yuffie who caught it easily again with one hand.

The Bottomswell suddenly shot a big thick water bubble from its mouth, straight at Cloud. The bubble instantly trapped Cloud inside of it, and also drained his strength, and he was starting to suffocate inside the bubble.

Green light burst from the ground at Aeris's feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from the sky, reacting with the water and shocking the Bottomswell badly and nearly killing it. The Bottomswell shrieked in pain, and it was barely alive and bleeding badly.

Yuffie raised her Shuriken again and swung it at the Bottomswell, and slashed across its side again, giving it more scratches across its skin.

The Bottomswell roared with rage and tried to spin around in the water to cause big waves again, but it was too mortally wounded to cause any massive waves, so it didn't do much more than simply get their shoes wet. Aeris and Yuffie knew they had to kill it quickly or Cloud was going to suffocate in the bubble that he was trapped in.

Green light burst from the ground at Aeris's feet as some flames appeared out of nowhere and almost struck the Bottomswell, but it ducked underwater so the flames didn't reach it, hit the water and the flames were put out, so the Bottomswell wasn't affected.

Green light burst from the ground at Yuffie's feet as reached and grasped a Materia equipped on her Shuriken, which immediately glowed bright green. 

A bolt of lightning instantly appeared from the sky, and struck the Bottomswell directly, and reacted with the water more than ever, giving the Bottomswell a massive electric shock.

The Bottomswell shrieked in terrible agony, and then it was quickly killed after that. There was a flash of white light and an explosion of water, and the Bottomswell was reduced to nothingness.

The bubble vanished and Cloud was now free from it, and just in time, as he was gasping for breath. Cloud, Aeris and Yuffie quickly healed themselves with potions, as Tifa suddenly swam back onto the shore, and got back out of the water and onto the beach, carrying Priscilla along with her in her arms, who was unconscious and clearly not breathing.

Tifa gently set Priscilla down on the beach, as Cloud, Aeris, Yuffie, Barret and Red XIII quickly rushed over to Priscilla, who was still unconscious and she had still stopped breathing and looked very pale and felt very cold.

"This is really bad. You don't think that she's dead, do you?" asked Tifa, worried and anxious.

"No, she's still alive. But she's in bad shape. We need to get help and fast," said Aeris, urgently.

"Priscilla!" shouted a croaky voice, suddenly. 

An old man walked over to them and stared down at Priscilla, and checked to see if she was alright. He must have been her grandfather.

"…Nope…She's not breathing. Hey, that's it! Young man! CPR! Now!" shouted the old man, urgently.

"Mouth to mouth!?" shouted Cloud, shocked and horrified, jumping backwards in surprise.

"Cloud, what are you going to do?" asked Tifa.

"But come on, she's just a little girl," protested Cloud, wondering why it was always him who had to do these sorts of things all the time.

"Cloud, hurry!" shouted Aeris.

"What? You don't know how to do it? Come over here and I'll show you," said the old man.

"Guess I've got to do it," sighed Cloud, regrettably.

"Just take a deep breath, hold it in and then breathe into her. Hurry up and do it!" shouted the old man. 

Cloud reluctantly did CPR on the little girl. It took a while but she managed to wake up. She coughed quite a bit, and then she was silent.

"Hey, Priscilla. Are you alright?" asked the old man. 

He picked her up, walked up the stairs and went back to their house. Cloud and the others walked up the stairs and back over to the town. 

A man was standing outside his house, waiting for them.

"Hey, come in for a while, please. I've just heard all about what happened earlier. You've all done so much for Priscilla, saving her life like that. You all must be tired. Please, make yourselves at home, it's the least I can do," said the man.

He calmly walked back into his house, leaving the door open behind him for them to come inside.

"I guess we should take him up on his offer. It's not like we've got much choice or anything," said Yuffie, as she, Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Barret and Red XIII all walked into the house.

The man inside the house turned to face them.

"Like I already said, I've just heard about what happened here earlier. You've all done so much for Priscilla. If you want to get some rest, then stay here, please, by all means. This isn't much, but it's the best I can offer you. The night will get stormy and the last thing you should be expected to do is camp out there. Make yourselves at home," said the man, and he walked out of the house, closing the door behind him.

"Shall we take a rest?" asked Tifa.

"Yeah, let's rest," replied Cloud. He turned to face Barret.

"There are four beds. Tifa, Yuffie and Aeris are each going to take one, so who's going to take the fourth?" asked Cloud.

"Well, Red XIII don't need any bed, and I don't mind going without one. You might as well take it," said Barret. Cloud shrugged.

There were only four beds, so Barret and Red XIII had volunteered to sleep on the floor. Tifa and Yuffie, who were very tired and exhausted, soon fell fast asleep. Barret and Red XIII were asleep soon after that. 

Cloud was starting to fall asleep, when he suddenly noticed that Aeris was wide-awake, and she seemed to be troubled about something. Cloud got out of his bed and walked over to her. 

Aeris noticed this, and she got out of her bed and sat at the end of it. Cloud sat next to her. Cloud noticed that a few tears had been sliding down her face.

"Aeris, is something wrong? You've been crying," said Cloud, concerned, gently brushing a tear from her face. Aeris smiled at him slightly.

"Cloud…no, just forget about it. It was nothing. I just couldn't get to sleep, that's all," said Aeris. Cloud wasn't convinced, though.

"Aeris, what are you trying to hide?" asked Cloud, gently, trying not to sound too pushy, but he needed to know what was clearly bothering her.

"I…I'm not trying to hide anything, Cloud. But I want you all to know that…one day…I-I may have to leave you, leave all of you. Just remember…if that day ever comes…it might not be my wish, but it will be my choice," said Aeris, slowly and clearly.

Cloud gasped at her in surprise and concern.

"Aeris, you're scaring me now. I hate it when you talk like that," said Cloud, worried and filled with concern for her, there was just something about her words that seemed to scare him for some reason, as if a hidden truth ran through them.

"I'm sorry…like I said, just forget about it. Never mind what I told you just then," said Aeris.

Cloud looked at her in concern, still very worried about her indeed. Aeris sighed and continued.

"You know, I really love my mother. She gave everything she had, including her life, so I could escape Shinra and have a better life. I love both my mother and Elmyra, and I owe my life to them. I loved my boyfriend back when he was around as well. But sometimes…I just wish I was born differently, Cloud…I wish I was different, but I was never given a chance to be different," explained Aeris.

"Look Aeris, at times I've wanted my life to go differently as well. And I've never had much of a chance either. People are simply just the way they are by their experiences, but perhaps very few of them are able to choose to be the way they really want to be," said Cloud.

"Yeah…you're right. Thanks, Cloud," said Aeris, smiling again, and she hugged Cloud softly, kissed him on the cheek, and then went back to her bed.

Cloud looked at her for a moment, in deep thought, and then went back to his bed. Both of them soon fell asleep. But Cloud suddenly heard a voice, speaking to him in his dreams, the same voice he had heard before when he was dreaming.

"That reminds me…" said the voice.

"You again? Who are you?" asked Cloud. 

He had never met anyone with this voice before, but he thought he heard this voice from somewhere once before.

"You'll find out soon enough, later along your journey, I'm sure. But more importantly, five years ago…" said the voice.

"Five years ago…? Nibelheim…?" asked Cloud, surprised.

"When you went to Mount Nibel at that time, Tifa was your guide, right?" asked the voice.

"Yeah…I was surprised," said Cloud.

"But where was Tifa, other than that? Why couldn't you find her around town before that, or after?" asked the voice.

"I…I don't know," replied Cloud, thoroughly bewildered, as the thought suddenly occurred to him, and now he really began to wonder where Tifa had been besides when she was being their guide through the mountains.

"It was a great chance for you two to see each other again," said the voice.

"You're right," said Cloud, thoughtfully.

"Why couldn't you see each other alone?" asked the voice, curiously.

"I don't know…I can't remember clearly," said Cloud, slowly, still rather confused and bewildered about the whole subject.

"Why don't you try asking Tifa?" asked the voice.

"…Yeah…" said Cloud, deciding that he would find out the truth from Tifa.

"Then wake up," said the voice. The voice then suddenly disappeared and vanished from Cloud's mind. Then he heard a familiar voice in front and above him.

"Wake up, Cloud!" said Tifa, urgently.

Cloud awoke and found Tifa standing in front of him. Aeris, Yuffie, Barret and Red XIII were already out of the house. Cloud got up and he faced Tifa, deciding to ask her about what the strange voice had said.

"Tifa, when Sephiroth and me arrived at Nibelheim, where were you?" asked Cloud, curiously. 

Tifa hesitated before answering, unable to meet his gaze, looking clearly uncomfortable about the whole subject for some strange reason.

"We…we still saw each other again, right?" asked Tifa.

"No, the other time. Before you lead us to the reactor, and after that," said Cloud.

Tifa shook her head, but she clearly still looked very troubled, and still avoided his gaze.

"No…it was five years ago. I don't remember it clearly enough…But something seems strange outside right now. Cloud, come quick," said Tifa, urgently.

Cloud could tell that Tifa was hiding something from him, and that she was clearly very worried about him finding out about it. But Cloud decided to leave the subject for now, seeing that there might be something going on at the moment.

Cloud and Tifa both ran outside the house into the small town of Junon, and they could hear parade music coming from above them, but they couldn't see a parade in the town. 

"(It must be in the big city of Junon above this town)," thought Cloud. 

Cloud and Tifa both walked over to Priscilla's house and they found Red XIII, Yuffie, Barret and Aeris standing outside the house, looking upwards towards the source of the noise.

"Does this have something to do with Shinra?" asked Red XIII, curiously.

"God, what a horrible racket! It's giving me a pounding headache! And its almost as bad as Barret's snoring too," joked Yuffie, sniggering. Barret snarled angrily.

"What was that!? Shut up! Seems like something's going on up there. Don't see how anyone could sleep through this. That racket up there would have awoken the dead!" said Barret.

"Doesn't it seem a little strange? Everything going so noisy all of a sudden?" asked Tifa, thoughtfully.

"I heard that girl who nearly drowned yesterday regained consciousness," said Aeris.

"Why don't you go see her, Cloud? She seems like a nice kid," said Tifa, gently.

"Hey, are we going to climb up to the city or not? Not that I'm anxious to get any closer to that annoying music, of course," said Yuffie. 

Just then, the door opened as Priscilla walked out of her house and she walked over to them.

"Are you alright now?" asked Cloud. 

Priscilla nodded, her head bowed.

"Yes, thanks for helping. I'm sorry. I mistook you all for members of Shinra Incorporated," said Priscilla.

"That's alright," said Cloud.

Priscilla's face brightened, and she looked up at them, smiling with clear gratitude. Barret looked up at the ground of the city above the town again, where the parade music was still coming from.

"What's that music? It sure sounds lively," said Barret.

"I've heard that they're rehearsing the reception for the new Shinra President. They're holding a parade in honour of him, up in the city above," explained Priscilla.

At this, Barret's eyes widened in surprise.

"Rufus!? Damn, I've gotta pay my respects to that guy! We need to get up there somehow to teach him a lesson in pain…" growled Barret, clenching his fist tightly.

"My grandpa and grandma told me that this beach was beautiful when they were young. This place was once a fishing town. Many champion fishermen came here in the hope of catching something huge. Then Shinra came and blocked out the tide, building their new city above. After Shinra built that city above us, the sun stopped shining here and the water got polluted. Ever since then, the whole town's been dirty and polluted. I was raised on that story my whole life, and I hate Shinra Incorporated so much, that I could just die!" shouted Priscilla, angrily.

"Do you think that Rufus is thinking about crossing the ocean from here too? Does that mean that Sephiroth has already crossed the ocean?" asked Aeris, curiously.

"Cloud, didn't you finish Rufus off?" asked Red XIII, bewildered. Cloud shook his head in response.

"We've gotta get to the city up there. Maybe we could climb up that electric tower in the water," said Barret, thoughtfully.

Priscilla's eyes widened, and she screamed in protest.

"No! No! No! There's a high voltage current running underneath the tower. Don't wander too near it, its too dangerous! But…you might be able to…if Mr dolphin helps you to get up there. Come on, follow me to the beach!" said Priscilla, and she ran down the steps to the small beach.

"High voltage tower…I guess this means that Cloud will be alright," said Tifa, turning to face Cloud and grinning at him.

"Yeah, better leave it to Cloud," said Aeris, also grinning.

"We're counting on you, Cloud," said Red XIII, nodding.

"Hey!! Wait just a second!" protested Cloud, but they all took no notice of him, and turned away.

"Guess they've made up their minds. Looks like you're the best person for the job. Now aren't you going to follow her?" asked Yuffie, grinning. Cloud snorted.

"That looks like a Shinra soldier," said Red XIII, pointing (with one of his paws) to a soldier standing by a gate. Yuffie nodded in agreement, and said nothing.

"Yeah, I'd like to get up there and take a good look at the new President of Shinra Incorporated," said Barret, menacingly, clenching his fist tightly.

"Don't you just hate this?" asked Tifa.

"You're probably right," replied Aeris. 

Deciding to get this over with as quickly as possible, Cloud quickly ran down the steps to the small beach. He ran over to Priscilla, who was waiting for him by the shore.

"Wait a minute," said Priscilla. 

She blew her whistle and the dolphin came into view and suddenly jumped very high. It almost jumped above the top of the electrical tower. Barret arrived just behind them, and he ran up to them by the shore.

"Impressive! Now ain't that something! I've never seen any dolphin jump as high as that!" exclaimed Barret, both amazed and clearly impressed. Priscilla grinned.

"Pretty cool, huh? When I blow this whistle, Mr dolphin jumps for me. Here! This is for you, Cloud," said Priscilla, and she gave Cloud the whistle.

"A gift? What am I supposed to do with it?" asked Cloud.

"Just go into the water, blow this whistle and Mr dolphin will jump to the top of the pole with you," explained Priscilla.

"Jump to the top of the pole?" asked Cloud.

"See that rod sticking out at the top? If you jump just at the right moment, then you can climb up to the top of the town and then go from there to the city above," explained Priscilla.

"Good luck, Cloud! If you make it, we'll follow you! I'll hold the PHS for you. It will break if it gets wet," said Barret, taking the mobile phone off him.

"Do you want to jump with Mr dolphin?" asked Priscilla.

"Sure, guess I have to," replied Cloud, shrugging.

Cloud swam out to sea, and set himself above the high voltage wires that ran under the ground. Looking around, he could see the early sunset as it cast a dark crimson glow over the chilly water. 

It soaked him clean to his skin, causing him to shiver. He couldn't stay in here too long before his legs would go numb. Sighing, he blew the whistle and waited.

Looking down, Cloud saw the stirring of the dark water underneath his feet as the dolphin swam around in tight circles to gain momentum. Then it vanished. 

The sword on Cloud's back was starting to get heavier, and his head was spinning. The chill was beginning to soak through his stiff leather boots, this was looking bad.

Cloud yelped as the dolphins hard nose suddenly pushed up against his feet and propelled him high into the air. In a spray of water and a cheerful chatter, the dolphin had actually pushed Cloud all the way up to the pole Pricilla had pointed out. 

Cloud grabbed the pole tightly, and almost ended up falling off the bottom, grasping the pole with slippery wet hands was not easy. Still, he managed to pull himself up and wrap his legs around the steel pole. 

With his arms burning and his legs numb, Cloud pulled himself up to the service ladder beneath the runway and slowly crawled up it.

Cloud pushed the manhole out of the way, and he was amazed at the sight that greeted him. He had heard stories of the airships at Junon, but this, this was almost too much to take in at once.

The massive steel airship's polished chrome shone in the bright red sunset, and its huge turbines drove its propellers lazily in the stiff breeze. 

Somebody was speaking into a bullhorn somewhere, and the PA system from the flight deck responded with some command code that Cloud couldn't make heads of tails of. 

Thick chains tied to weights kept the airship from taking off by itself, but just barely, the way it struggled, Cloud saw the ship more as a living, breathing thing that was dying to be let loose and soar the crimson skies again.

Cloud stood and marvelled at the airship for what seemed like forever, until he remembered what he was doing up in Junon, and quickly headed for the flight deck. 

Cloud rode down the service elevator to the bottom floor, where the city of Junon was, and Cloud entered the Shinra soldier's barracks that were on the other side of the elevator. As soon as he stepped inside, the loud music suddenly blared in his ears, almost knocking him back outside.

Heavy brass, booming base, and huge drums made up the parade music for President Rufus, even though the actual parade hadn't quite started yet. 

Dozens of soldiers were flocking out of the barracks and filling the streets in hundreds of uniform ranks. The streets were swarming with blue splotches, each swinging their assault rifles and cheering loudly for Junon and for Shinra.

The city of Junon was huge, almost as big as Midgar but luckily, nowhere near as polluted. The brilliant sunset shone off the waters, sending a bright orange glow onto the tall buildings and bathing the town in a fiery red. 

Junon itself was built like a flight of stairs, with each street being a different level of town, connected by airways, the Shinra's VIP elevator platforms, and of course, simple stairways. The top of the town, though, held the Junon Shinra tower, where Rufus would oversee everything from his chair high above. 

The most impressive part of the city, however, was the gigantic cannon, the Sister Ray, the largest and most powerful weapon on the entire Planet.

Junon was known for having massive amounts of artillery in the streets that had been installed during the war, but the very best of the weapons was the massive cannon that stretched for almost half a mile out over the ocean. 

The Mako shells were said to weigh over twenty tons, and were loaded with four heavy cranes. Junon's underwater Mako Reactor, located far beneath the churning waves outside of the small harbour, powered the cannon. 

It had only been fired once since being built, which was during the war, but once was always more than enough for anybody or anything, as the cannon had enough power to blow absolutely anything to bits in just one shot.


	47. Junon: Homecoming Parade Of Rufus

Chapter 46 - The Homecoming Parade Of Rufus 

"The new president is here!" shouted one Shinra soldier. 

Suddenly, a Shinra commander (dressed in red uniform) walked up to Cloud, with an angry expression on his face.

            "Hey! You're still dressed like that!? What are ya doing out of your uniform, soldier!? There's a goddamn parade going on outside, and you're just hanging around in here!? Come here! Get into your uniform, on the double!" snapped the Shinra commander.

Cloud shrugged and he obeyed. Cloud already had a plan to fool Shinra, and he was sure it would work just as long as he pretending to obey them.

            "In here!! Get in this room right now!" snapped the Shinra commander. Cloud walked through the door and came into a changing room.

"Today's the big day when we welcome President Rufus! Hurry up and change!" shouted the Shinra commander. Cloud quickly got changed into a Shinra soldier uniform.

"(A Shinra uniform…I was so proud of myself when I first put this on. Sure brings back a lot of memories…I wonder when exactly it was…I couldn't stand wearing this thing anymore…)," thought Cloud. 

Despite his reluctance, Cloud soon finished changing and he came out of the changing room, wearing a Shinra soldier uniform above his regular clothes.

"Wow! You look good in it! Oh, you do remember the greeting procedure, right? The look on your face says that you've forgot. Alright then, I'll show you it again. Do it just like we do," said the Shinra commander.

Suddenly, two Shinra soldiers ran into the room.

"Commander! We'll help too," said one Shinra soldier.

"This is how to do it!" said the other Shinra soldier.

"We'll sing too!" said the first Shinra soldier.

"Alright! Show him!" ordered the Shinra commander.

"Now march! This is the welcoming march!" said the first Shinra soldier.

"I'll sing along with you!" said the second Shinra soldier.

They showed the marches and demonstrated how to do it.

"Keep in step with the soldier next to you and march smoothly! Got it!?" shouted the Shinra commander.

"Yeah, got it," replied Cloud, nodding.

"Good! Make sure you do well in the real parade!" said the Shinra commander. Another Shinra soldier ran through the doors into the room.

"President Rufus has arrived! Preparations completed!" shouted the Shinra soldier.

"Alright then, it's show time! Don't disgrace yourselves!" shouted the Shinra commander. 

He and the Shinra soldier left the room, and Cloud quickly followed them. They went outside to the city of Junon where the parade was.

On the main streets, one of the Second Class SOLDIERS was overlooking the formation in the ranks. Clad in bright red with a long, conical sword in one hand and a helmet covering his dark hair, the soldier barked orders to the front ranks, and made the rear snap to attention.

"The parade is ready to begin! This is gonna be broadcast on live television across the whole world, so don't screw up!" shouted the soldier.

Spinning around, the soldier hefted his sword and started marching. Behind him, the rank of blue-clad Third Class picked up the march, followed by the regular class of soldiers. 

Behind the first ranks was Heidegger, marching along with the tune of the band and waving to the crowds of Junon. Behind him was another rank of soldiers, and standing up in a topless car was President Rufus Shinra, grinning broadly and saluting the people of the city.

The breeze the car picked up tossed about his flaming blond hair, letting his dark green eyes cast a warm glow over the crowds. His white suit was completely spotless, save for the black buttons and dark handkerchief folded carefully into his front pocket.

He remembered seeing his father's Tenth Anniversary Parade years ago, but it was nowhere near this size. Children cheered, old men saluted, and women sighed at his passing, while the hundreds of soldiers marched in his honour.

"(Eat your heart out, old man)," thought Rufus, with a smirk.

Cloud and the Shinra soldiers ran outside to join the parade. But they found the parade had already gone.

"Oh, no!! No one's here! We're late!? Hey, rookie!! Its because of you're running around like that!!" snapped the Shinra commander, pointing an accusing finger at Cloud.

"Commander! We'll take a short cut!" shouted one Shinra soldier, pointing down an alley.

"Right! Good idea. Get over here!!" ordered the Shinra commander. 

They quickly ran over to the alleyway, which was the shortcut to the parade. They ran into the alleyway where the parade was. The other Shinra soldiers marched into the parade with other soldiers. The Shinra commander turned to face Cloud, the two of them having stayed behind.

"Now listen up, rookie!! This parade is gonna be broadcasted live on Shinra Television. All over the world! If you look bad, the whole Shinra army will look bad. Remember that and don't screw up! Okay! Just jump in when I give you the sign! Just sneak in from the back. Don't mess up the row!" shouted the Shinra commander.

Cloud nodded and he was soon walking down the alleyway, preparing to go into the parade, as the Shinra commander shouted after him.

"And no matter what you do, rookie, don't even try to go in the front! Alright, now start marching!!" ordered the Shinra commander.

Leaving the alleyway, Cloud joined the other soldiers in the parade, but he simply did awful, and he couldn't copy any of the other soldier's marches at all. People watching were baffled by his poor performance.

"Just what the hell was that damn soldier doing?" asked the TV producer, irritably.

"I don't know…" said the AD, shaking his head hopelessly.

"Are the points up?" asked the TV producer, urgently.

"T-This is terrible! A-Am I fired…?" asked the AD, nervously, visibly shaking.

"What!? You're fired!! Send that soldier a bomb or something!" shouted the TV producer, slamming his fist on a table in frustration.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Aeris, Barret, Tifa, Red XIII and Yuffie had left the town of Junon and managed to get into the city of Junon by tricking the Shinra soldier guarding the gate leading to the city above the small town to let them through. 

They had managed to get up to the city of Junon, but they all needed disguises. Carefully and quietly, they all managed to sneak into the Shinra base at Junon and sneaked into the changing rooms without being seen.

They found some Shinra soldier uniforms, but there were only three, and therefore they were two uniforms short. Another problem was that Aeris was the only person, who could successfully fit into the uniform. 

The others couldn't get into any of the other uniforms, and Barret was getting so frustrated, that he almost fired his gun-arm, and almost blew the uniforms to pieces.

"Barret, if we walk around with uniforms covered with bullet holes, we would be a lot more suspicious to Shinra than we would be walking out there in our regular clothes," explained Tifa, patiently, stopping Barret just in time before he could lose his temper.

Barret nodded in agreement, calming down, but he was still very angry and annoyed. Noticing that they were still two uniforms short, they had to decide on the two who would not wear them. Aeris already had her uniform on, so they had to decide between Barret, Tifa, Red XIII and Yuffie.

"How about if you guys are Shinra soldiers who have impressed a girl in town? If you do that, then I can go without a uniform," suggested Yuffie.

Everyone nodded in agreed, so Yuffie was going without a uniform. Barret was still shaking in anger, he couldn't find any uniform at all that would be large enough to fit him, so they also decided that he would have to go without a uniform. 

Tifa quickly got her uniform on, but there was another and greater problem. It would be very hard to dress and disguise Red XIII in a uniform, since he was a four-legged lion-like creature who never walked on two feet.

So they tried to dress Red XIII themselves, much to Red XIII'S annoyance. The facemask of the uniform hid his lion-like face, but he couldn't get his tail to stay inside the uniform, much to Aeris and Yuffie's amusement, both of them laughing out loud as they watched Red XIII'S tail keep sticking out of his uniform no matter how many times he tried to get it back in. 

Eventually, they got the uniform firmly on Red XIII, and then Red XIII tried to stand on two legs, earning only more uncontrolled laughs from Yuffie.

"Red XIII, you walk like a drunk," joked Yuffie, giggling. Red XIII growled angrily, despite trying his best to ignore her.

"Let's just get to that ship fast. This is really embarrassing," muttered Red XIII, annoyed.

Unexpectedly, Yuffie and Barret both managed to find some sailor suits to wear in the changing rooms, both the right size for each of them, although Barret was still very annoyed, as he hated the sailor suit he had on, and Yuffie was laughing so hard at him that she couldn't stand up until she stopped. 

They all left the Shinra base, and they walked along the city of Junon, towards the ship at Junon harbour. Luckily, no one noticed them, as people were all watching the Shinra parade held in honour of Rufus.

Tifa looked at the parade for a moment, and she stopped walking suddenly. Noticing this, everyone else stopped and looked at her, and then looked at what she was staring at. 

In the parade, they all spotted a Shinra soldier close to the back of the parade, marching out of step with the others, and tripping slightly. People who were watching were laughing at him. Tifa looked harder at the Shinra soldier, and she realised who it was.

"Hey…wait a minute. That's Cloud," said Tifa, surprised.

"It is? Just how can you tell?" asked Aeris, curiously.

"Yeah…it's him, alright. No doubt about it. See the way he walks? I can tell that it's him," said Tifa.

"Ha, ha, ha! What a dumb-ass!" laughed Barret.

"You can tell its Cloud just by the way he walks? Just how close are you two?" asked Aeris, surprised.

Tifa hesitated for a moment, and then she just shrugged.

"Not very, really. We just grew up together. We're just friends, that's all. Why? Are you worried or something?" asked Tifa, raising an eyebrow. Aeris quickly shook her head.

"Oh no, I was just wondering, that's all," said Aeris, avoiding Tifa's suspicious gaze.

"We'd better go now. While you guys were all so busy laughing at Cloud, didn't you all hear what the announcer just said? The parade's almost over now, and Heidegger will be escorting Rufus to the ship. They're two people I certainly don't want to run into right now, so let's get to that ship first before they do," said Red XIII.

Everyone nodded in agreement, and they quickly ran to the ship in Junon harbour, and sneaked on it with their disguises, encountering no problems. Luckily, Rufus and Heidegger had not arrived yet, and therefore they had not spotted them.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile Cloud and the Shinra commander had caught up with the other soldiers. They were doing marches in front of two people – Rufus and Heidegger.

"Good! We made it. Oh, President Rufus!" said the Shinra commander, looking alarmed as he spotted Rufus. He turned to face Cloud.

"Hey! Line up and shut up! Don't make a move!" ordered the Shinra commander. 

Cloud shrugged and simply did what he was told. Rufus and Heidegger were watching them carefully, talking to each other at the same time.

"How's the job? What happened to the airship, the Highwind?" asked Rufus, curiously.

"The long range airship is still being prepared. It should be ready in about three more days," replied Heidegger.

"Even the Air Force's Gelnika?" asked Rufus, curiously.

Heidegger just laughed in response. Rufus frowned darkly.

"Stop that stupid horse laugh, Heidegger. Things are different than when my father was in charge," said Rufus, sharply and coldly. 

Heidegger instantly stopped laughing, and he seemed very shocked and speechless.

"Is the airship Gelnika ready?" repeated Rufus, sharply, looking hard at Heidegger. Heidegger nodded and bowed.

"…Yes, sir. We'll get it all ready quickly, right away," said Heidegger. Rufus nodded, satisfied with the answer.

Rufus and Heidegger walked into one of the building and into an elevator, which it took them to somewhere else in the city of Junon. Once they were gone, the silence among the Shinra soldiers was broken.

"What a disaster…" said the first Shinra soldier, shaking his head wearily.

"Yeah, Heidegger was really irritated," said the second Shinra soldier.

"The man in the black cape has been roaming around this city, but we still can't find him," said the third Shinra soldier.

"Man in a black cape?" asked Cloud, curiously, suddenly interested and alert.

"He showed up two or three days ago, and he killed a few of our soldiers," said the fourth Shinra soldier.

"He disappeared right after that. There's a rumour going around that it was Sephiroth," said the fifth Shinra soldier.

"Attention! Dismissed!" shouted the Shinra commander. 

All the Shinra soldiers obeyed and ran off. Except for Cloud.

"Hey you! You dare trying to mess with the army!?" snapped the Shinra commander.

"And just what if I am?" asked Cloud, sharply and angrily, his voice icy and his temper almost getting the better of him.

"You're too lazy!! No break for you!! Get over here!" shouted the Shinra commander.

He and Cloud ran back to the Junon base and back into the changing rooms. The Shinra commander glared furiously at him.

"This is the military, soldier!! Your orders for today are to send off President Rufus at the dock! I'll keep drilling you until it's time!" shouted the Shinra commander. 

Two Shinra soldiers rushed into the changing room.

"I'll help sir!" said the first Shinra soldier.

"Me too sir!" said the second Shinra soldier.

"Alright! Line up in order and show me your final pose. Today's command is formation! Remember it! Ready!? Junon military send off, begin!" shouted the Shinra commander.

The two Shinra soldiers did some marches until they finished showing the march to Cloud.

"Alright! Now you try it!" ordered the Shinra officer. Cloud practised the march until he had learned it.

"So, you got it?" asked the Shinra commander.

"I've got it," replied Cloud.

"Alright! Don't mess up during the real thing!" ordered the Shinra commander.

"Commander! What's today's special pose?" asked one Shinra soldier.

"I haven't decided yet. Alright, rookie!! I'll let you decide! Show me your best move!" ordered the Shinra commander.

"Hmm, now let's see…my best move is…" pondered Cloud thoughtfully, and he suddenly spun the Shinra machine gun several times, very quickly, over his head, and he only used one finger to balance it. The Shinra commander and soldiers looked at Cloud with amazement.

"Wow!" exclaimed the Shinra commander.

"That's awesome!" exclaimed a Shinra soldier.

"Alright! We'll go with that as today's special! Practise it!" ordered the Shinra commander.

"Yes, sir!" said the two Shinra soldiers.

"Meet at the dock! Don't be late! Attention! Dismissed!" shouted the Shinra officer. 

He and the two Shinra soldiers left the room and went outside to the city of Junon. Cloud quickly followed them.

Along the way, he spotted Rude, walking along the city. Rude walked into an alleyway and into a bar. Cloud followed him. Rude sat with some other men (who were not Turks) at a table in the bar. Rude suddenly noticed Cloud.

"You too? Then take your mask off and come here. That's our rule," said Rude. 

He was drinking alcohol with all the other man. They all appeared to be in a drinking club. Cloud left he bar and headed towards the dock at the port.

In another bar, he found Tseng and Elena. He sat on a table near them, hoping to overhear any information about what Shinra were up to, without being noticed.

"How do you like being a Turk?" asked Tseng, curiously.

"Fine, sir! It's really great! An honour! I love working with you! Uh,  I-I mean, all of you, that is," replied Elena, quickly.

"You're so jittery. Just calm down. Sephiroth is nowhere to be found, so don't worry," said Tseng.

"But what about President Rufus? Sephiroth killed President Shinra, right? So how exactly do we know he's not after Rufus as well?" asked Elena, curiously.

"President Rufus will be alright. Soon, we will be present at his send-off to make sure that everything there goes okay. Of course, you do have to be willing to die for him, should he need our sacrificial protection," said Tseng, coolly.

"Uh…o-of course!" said Elena, nervously. 

Before she could say anything else to Tseng, though, there was a strange sound coming towards the stairs below the bar. It sounded like some local alcoholic finding yet another bar to serve him.

"(Damn drunks always have to ruin the atmosphere)," thought Elena, annoyed. 

She and Tseng turned around as the sound stopped at the top of the stairs, and a figure walked into the bar. To their surprise, they saw it was Reno, who grinned at them when he spotted them.

"Reno!? What are you doing here!? How are you feeling?" asked Tseng, as Reno walked over to them, and took the centre seat, which both annoyed and angered Elena, as she had wanted to sit next to Tseng. Neither Tseng nor Reno noticed.

"I'm fine. I drank the potion you gave me," replied Reno.

"It's about time," said Tseng.

"I thought you were allergic to potions?" said Elena, suspiciously.

"Hey, you know me. I was just being stubborn, that's all. Sorry, but my legs are still a bit stiff from not being used for a few weeks," said Reno. Tseng frowned.

"Which brings up another issue. Our health insurance premiums just went up another 15%. I wonder whose fault that is…" said Tseng, looking hard at Reno.

"Not mine! Well…not entirely. What about last month when you cut your finger on some of that electronic junk you had to haul in?" asked Reno.

"That has nothing to do with it! You don't file insurance claims for little scratches on your finger," said Tseng.

"You don't?" asked Reno, sarcastically.

Reno was blocking Elena's view of Tseng. She leaned back, trying to look past Reno's shoulders. No good. Then she leaned forwards looking across the counter, but Reno was still in the way. Reno noticed her squirming.

"What!? Just what the heck are you looking at?" asked Reno, sharply. Tseng stopped massaging his chin and looked at them curiously.

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" insisted Elena, and she turned away, grumbling.

"You sure picked a weird one this time, Tseng," said Reno.

"Yeah, I picked three weird ones. You, Elena and Rude," said Tseng, coolly. 

Just then, they turned and saw Cloud listening in, but they couldn't see through Cloud's disguise and simply thought he was just some Shinra soldier.

"Stay out of this," warned Tseng, sharply, his voice icy.

"Hey soldier boy, aren't you still supposed to be on duty right now? The president's safety is secure because we're here, so there's no need for losers like you," said Reno, coolly.

"The moment you think the job's boring, you guys start messing around," muttered Elena.

Cloud decided he should leave before they got suspicious, and he walked out of the bar and he saw five familiar people, three dressed in soldier uniforms and two in sailor uniforms, heading for the Junon dock. Cloud followed them. He came to a cargo ship with Shinra soldiers and officers waiting outside it.

"Alright, its time," said the Shinra commander.

"President Rufus has now arrived!" said one Shinra soldier. 

Rufus and Heidegger suddenly arrived and they stood in front of Cloud and the soldiers, watching them.

"This is it! Junon military reception! Do it right! Do it with enthusiasm! Ready! Go!" ordered the Shinra commander.

Cloud and two Shinra soldiers did the march, and finished with the special that Cloud came up with. They didn't do one fault in the march and the special in particular caught both Rufus and Heidegger's interest. Rufus was impressed.

"Very entertaining. Keep up the good work," said Rufus, which from him was very high praise indeed. Heidegger walked up to Cloud, laughing.

"Here's a special bonus for you!! A token of the president's kindness! Don't forget it!" said Heidegger, and he gave Cloud some silver glasses, and Cloud quickly saluted and pocketed them, so as not to seem suspicious. Heidegger walked back up to Rufus as they headed towards the cargo ship.

"Once the word gets out that Sephiroth is somewhere around here, then Cloud and his friends will also show up here too," said Rufus.

"We'll crush them as soon as we find them," said Heidegger, confidently, beating his fists together.

"We can't have any of them get in the way of our plans," said Rufus, coldly.

"Leave it all to me, sir!" said Heidegger, laughing. Rufus frowned sharply.

"I thought I told you to stop that stupid laugh," said Rufus, sternly, his eyes narrowed. Rufus and Heidegger then quickly got in the cargo ship and vanished from view.

"Alright! Dismissed!" ordered the Shinra commander.

"That was close," said one Shinra soldier.

"Heidegger has been really edgy lately," said the other Shinra soldier.

"Because Hojo suddenly disappeared and hasn't been seen since before the President's death, leaving a sudden letter of resignation. Heidegger is being forced to take care of that investigation too," said the first Shinra soldier.

"Hey! I thought I just told you that you were all dismissed!" shouted the Shinra commander, sharply. The Shinra soldiers all left immediately and walked away, except for Cloud.

"We've got some cleaning up to do! Hurry up!" ordered the Shinra commander. 

He ran off, leaving no one else to watch Cloud. Cloud quietly sneaked into the cargo ship. The cargo ship started moving and began to travel across the sea from the east continent to the west continent.


	48. Junon: Boat Ride With Jenova

Chapter 47 - The Boat Ride With Jenova 

"(We'll cross the ocean to another continent. Even if we are wearing Shinra's uniforms)," thought Cloud.

Even with sweat beading on his face, Cloud was boiling inside his Shinra uniform. The large cargo hold was next to and above the boiler room in the huge freighter, and the heat oozed through the steel walls and filled the air.

Despite the heat, several other soldiers and many sailors were busying themselves with inspections, clean-up, and other assigned chores. 

Several guards were posted in front of the doors to the engine room, allowing only sailors with two blue stripes on their broad collars. 

Boxes lined the walls and towered to the high ceiling, creating a giant wooden maze to the other end of the room where a flight of stairs led to the deck. The bittersweet smell of sea air blew down the stairs, allowing small, cool relief from the thick heat below decks.

From around a corner came the gurgling, choked noise of what sounded like somebody who was getting a second chance at seeing lunch. 

Cloud thought it was rather strange to hire a seasick sailor, until he saw it was Yuffie, crouching behind some boxes, muttering weakly.

"Oh god, I HATE ships. Hey Cloud, have you got a tranquilliser?" asked Yuffie, weakly.

Cloud nodded, and took out a small vile of blue liquid flecked with pink from his pocket. Yuffie quickly snatched it from his hands and drank it, but almost threw up at the bitter taste of it, and spat it back out.

"Ugh, this stuff is awful! You'd better just get away and don't bother me unless its an emergency," said Yuffie.

Suddenly, Yuffie threw up all over the floor, and Cloud decided to go elsewhere before Yuffie could throw up on him. He turned and walked along the cargo ship until he ran into another Shinra soldier, but relaxed when he saw it was Aeris.

"Poor Yuffie…well, you can't say you didn't try. Hey, Cloud; it's me, Aeris. Cloud, did you see the airship at Junon airport?" asked Aeris, cheerfully, looking as though she was quite enjoying herself.

"I knew it was big, but I didn't expect it to be THAT big," replied Cloud.

"Yeah, that airship was really something. Hey, do you think I could get on it?" asked Aeris, curiously, smiling brightly.

"Maybe I'll take you someday," said Cloud, shrugging.

Aeris's smile widened in delight, and her beautiful emerald green eyes sparkled.

"Wow! I'm really looking forward to it! Let's ride the airship together, okay? Promise me," said Aeris, smiling. 

Aeris smiled up at Cloud, and nestled into his shoulder.

"Promise me you'll take me up on it sometime?" asked Aeris, smiling, looking up at Cloud through the visor on her soldier helmet.

Cloud fought the instinct to put an arm around her shoulder and pull her close. He only just barely managed it.

"I promise. Keep hoping," gasped Cloud. 

Aeris giggled, and then she walked off, still smiling back at Cloud and winking at him.

Quickly managing to regain his composure, Cloud walked up some stairs, which lead to the cargo area of the ship. This was the part of the ship that was outside. 

On deck, the two huge smokestacks in the middle of the ship bellowed fiercely and belched out a gaping mouthful of thick black smoke. 

The green-tinted cloud crawled up around the lip of the charred barrel and slowly rose into the still blue sky, vanishing in a sudden ocean breeze. 

The warm ocean waters crashed up against the brine-covered steel hull of the ship, rocking it gently back and forth in the wind. 

The shrill cries of seagulls filled the air, and alongside the ship, silvery-grey dolphins chattered to themselves as they rolled between the waves. The sea wasn't so bad, if you didn't mind the swaying, Cloud thought. Yuffie obviously did mind it though…

Cloud looked around the area and he ran into a Shinra soldier. This soldier was actually Tifa. Tifa smiled at Cloud and turned towards him, and gave him a mock salute.

"Yes, sir! Everything's quiet here, sir! But…you know what, Cloud? I really hate this uniform. I feel so dirty in this thing. Uniforms, soldiers, war. I hate them all. They take away all the things and the people you love. I wish they would all just disappear. Right, Cloud?" said Tifa.

"Yeah, I guess so…" replied Cloud, shrugging.

"You're right! Yes, sir. I'll continue my watch, sir!" said Tifa, sarcastically, playing along with her disguise. She was then giggling in laughter.

Cloud walked along the cargo area, and he saw a Shinra soldier walking very strangely, as though he was struggling to stand on his own two feet and he had a red, fiery tail sticking out of his uniform. Therefore, Cloud had instantly recognized who this soldier really was.

"It's me, Red XIII. I'm a little woozy, but I shouldn't get caught. Humans only look at appearances, anyway. So anyway you look at it, I'd say I make a fine human being. It's pretty hard standing on two feet," said Red XIII, who (as a lion-like animal) preferred to stand on all fours. 

Cloud chose not to comment on his tail.

Further up near the front of the ship were the Presidential quarters, with its huge, tinted windows and map of the world. Several pegs and thumbtacks were pushed into the map, with green-clad soldiers removing pins and pushing more in every few seconds. 

It seemed that a lot of the white pins were moving towards Junon, while the blue and green ones were steadily going south around the East Continent. 

Cloud wasn't sure what all that meant, but it couldn't be good, if the Shinra were involved in it so thoroughly.

From the back of the room, Cloud spotted a scowling Rufus and a flustered Heidegger, who was explaining something to the President with obvious urgency. 

Heidegger laughed a few times and made large, elaborate arm gestures, thumping his meaty fist on a table once or twice. Seemingly satisfied, President Rufus waved Heidegger off and turned back to glance at the world map.

Cloud walked further along the cargo area, and he found Barret. He was dressed in a sailor uniform, and he was looking through a window, looking at Rufus and Heidegger, but Barret was also crouching just below it, so he wasn't noticed.

"Look, Cloud. It's Rufus and Heidegger. They're this close, but we can't do a damn thing to them," said Barret, irritated.

Heidegger suddenly seemed to be laughing about something, as if some amusing thought had occurred to him.

"How can he? Going off laughing like that? Because of him, Biggs…Wedge…Jessie…" said Barret, his voice mixed with rage and grief. He was still clearly very upset about their deaths.

"God, I can't take it anymore!! I'm going to settle things here and now!" shouted Barret, shaking in anger, raising his gun-arm and pointing it at the window at Rufus and Heidegger, about to fire…

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, inside the room of the ship, Rufus Shinra brushed his blond hair out of his face as Heidegger paced around the room. 

"Has there been any trouble yet, Heidegger?" asked Rufus, glancing out of the far window to his right.

"Ha, ha, ha! Nothing at all yet, Mr. President! Ha, ha, ha! AVALANCHE won't be getting on this cargo ship!" laughed Heidegger.

"Will you stop that stupid horse laugh, Heidegger!? It's been getting on my nerves lately," hissed Rufus, angrily, glaring at Heidegger.

"My apologies, Mr. President. But as I just told you, there is absolutely no way that AVALANCHE could get onboard this ship," said Heidegger.

"You had better hope so, for your own sake," said Rufus, sharply, making Heidegger even more nervous. 

Rufus ran a hand through his hair, crossing his arms, and looked down at the table between himself and Heidegger at some notes on a clipboard.

"There are rumours that Sephiroth has been seen in Junon, Heidegger. If it is Sephiroth, is there a chance that he can get on board?" asked Rufus, curiously.

"Ha, ha! It's impossible for Sephiroth to get onto this boat, sir. I have guards everywhere on the ship!! They won't let anything get past them!" exclaimed Heidegger, but suddenly, something unexpected happened.

Perhaps it was just a bad twist of fate on Heidegger's behalf, but alarms started ringing as soon as the words left his mouth. Rufus hid his startled surprise, raising an eyebrow at Heidegger and giving him a very angry and cold look.

"It sounds like something just got past them, Heidegger," said Rufus, coldly, his voice icy.

Heidegger gulped nervously and then growled irritably, turning around and storming out of the room. Rufus shook his head, looking towards the window. 

His eyes narrowed when he saw a black man staring back at him. It was Barret. Before Rufus could shout out, Barret was gone from sight. Rufus quickly raced out of the room and followed Heidegger, grabbing his shotgun as he did so.

"Emergency alert! Reports of a very suspicious character found! Those not on detail, search the ship! Report when found!" said a message on an intercom radio around the ship.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Cloud and Barret had noticed all the commotion that was going on, and had heard all the alarms, and they looked around nervously.

"Damn it! Did they see us!? Hey…it don't seem to be us. Do they mean Tifa and the others!? Hey, get off ya spiky ass and let's go, Cloud!" shouted Barret.

Cloud and Barret quickly ran towards the middle of the cargo ship. Meanwhile, Red XIII, Yuffie, Aeris and Tifa were waiting for them there.

"Where's Cloud? They didn't get him, did they?" asked Aeris, anxious and concerned.

"I don't think so. He just went past me towards the front of the ship. There wasn't any commotion up there that I could hear. And my ears are pretty sharp," said Red XIII.

"Yeah, Cloud's going to be alright. He always is," said Tifa, reassuringly.

Just then, Cloud and Barret both arrived, and they ran up to them. They looked around to check if everyone was there, and they saw that they were all here. But then who was the one causing all of the trouble?

"Everyone alright!?" asked Tifa.

"You alright!?" asked Barret.

"Everyone's here, right?" said Tifa, looking around.

"Hey, wait a minute. You don't think that suspicious character is…" said Barret, thoughtfully.

"Sephiroth!?" shouted Cloud, alarmed, and the shock of that realisation hit everyone hard.

"Really!?" asked Tifa, shocked.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" replied Barret, sharply, annoyed.

"Then let's find out," said Cloud, firmly.

"It's the most logical thing to do. Then who's going to go?" asked Red XIII, curiously.

They all turned and faced Cloud, except Yuffie, who instantly backed away from them.

"No way! Not me! I don't even like Sephiroth anyway. And besides, I'm think I'm going to be sick," said Yuffie, terrified, and she ran off and threw up over the side of the ship.

"I'm going too!" said Barret.

"Take me with you!" said Tifa.

"Is it really Sephiroth? Then I'm going too. You'll need me to help," said Aeris.

"These clothes are too tight on me. I'll come too so I can take them off," said Red XIII.

Aeris stepped forward, removing her helmet, and Tifa followed. Barret helped Red XIII out of his uniform, and after a few minutes of heated debate, Yuffie finally agreed to come along, although reluctantly. They all took off their uniforms and changed back to their regular clothes (except Red XIII who as an animal didn't wear any).

With everybody else in tow, Cloud pulled out his huge sword from its sheath on his back, clutched it in his hands, and moved down the stairs.

With the heat and cramped space, the stale air inside the cargo hold had become stagnant and wretched. The thick smell of fresh blood clung to the inside of Cloud's throat. 

The leather hilt of his sword was slick with sweat and almost slipped out of his grasp as he slowly descended the steel staircase to the cargo hold below decks. 

What little light there had been from the lights hanging on the ceiling had been knocked out, causing the bulbs to flicker and spark. 

The flashing lights cast long, dark shadows against the sizzling hot steel walls, and more than once, Cloud thought he saw something scurry just out of the corner of his eye. 

Turning to see what had moved, though, Cloud found only a stack of empty crates.

At the bottom of the staircase, the air became almost like a soup that made breathing difficult. The bodies of several guards were piled across the floor and piled on top of boxes, fixed expressions of terror and surprise glued to their cold, lifeless faces. The door to the boiler room was propped open, and Red XIII was the first to voice his complaints after sneezing and shaking his head.

"Something's in there. And it smells like something from Hojo's lab," said Red XIII, warningly.

Cloud took a whiff of the air, and found a cold, bitter smell lingering in the air; it was faint, but it was definitely there. More than the smell though, Cloud felt something pulling on him at the very edges of his awareness, beckoning him to step inside the room, to come closer into it.

As he got closer, his sword seemed to grow heavier, and sleep began to creep into the front of his thoughts. Shrugging the feeling off as best he could, Cloud quickened his pace and flung the door to the boiler room open.

Almost immediately, the waves of the heat that streamed from the furnace blasted across him, making his skin break out into sweat.

Cloud's heart began to slam up against his ribs as the pulling sensation returned, stronger than ever, and calling to him from all directions.

Whispers in his ears from invisible sources filled his head, telling him dark, terrible secrets. Most of them were in a garbled, sloppy language that Cloud had a hard time making out, but there were a few distinct words he could filter out. 

He caught "Cetra", "Jenova", and a few others that seemed to make little sense, but one in particular stood out, one word, that every time he heard it, seemed to increase in volume as the soft whispers turned into hoarse screams. The word was KILL. Suddenly Cloud and the others noticed a guard standing alone in the room. They cautiously walked over to him.

"Is it Sephiroth?" asked Cloud. 

The guard turned, faced Cloud, and the guard suddenly fell on the floor, died, and then his body suddenly vanished.

"No…not Sephiroth," gasped Cloud, taking a few steps backwards in horror.

Suddenly a deep, cold voice was heard all around the room, and Cloud recognised it instantly, with a feeling of cold dread and piercing horror.

"After a long sleep…the time…has finally come…at last," said the voice.

"Look, Cloud!" shouted Barret, pointing to where the voice was coming from.

Sephiroth suddenly appeared out of nowhere right in front of them, and remained still. He looked exactly the same as he did five years ago. Sephiroth had re-emerged after all, he even had his Masumane sword, held tightly in his hand.

"Sephiroth! You're alive!" shouted Cloud, horrified.

"Who…are you…?" asked Sephiroth, confused.

"You don't remember me!? I'm Cloud, from Nibelheim!" shouted Cloud.

"Cloud…Nibelheim…" said Sephiroth, thoughtfully, as if suddenly remembering something from long ago.

"Sephiroth! What are you thinking!? What are you doing!?" shouted Cloud.

"The time…is now," said Sephiroth.

"What are you saying!? I thought you were dead!" shouted Cloud, sharply. Sephiroth laughed coldly.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you? But I'm not effected by Mako energy like those pathetic people out there, Cloud," said Sephiroth, coolly.

Cloud didn't understand what he meant, and was thoroughly confused, as was everyone else, but Cloud quickly regained his composure.

"I can't say that I'm pleased to see you back, Sephiroth," said Cloud, coldly.

"I never expected you to be," said Sephiroth, coolly.

"I'll never let you take over this Planet!" shouted Cloud, angrily, raising his sword.

"Ah, but Cloud, that's not the point. I don't want to rule this world. Well…at least not as a mortal," said Sephiroth, now grinning evilly.

"What are you talking about?" asked Cloud, confused.

Suddenly, Sephiroth flew straight past them, knocking Aeris, Tifa and Yuffie to the floor and knocking them unconscious. He suddenly vanished from the boat but he had left something else behind to deal with them – Jenova.

Jenova was now five times larger that Cloud or any of the others. It now had a black alien-looking head with red eyes. It had two huge arms that were so big they almost looked like massive wings from a huge bird. 

It didn't have any legs, and it had a big cone-like end touching the floor instead but it was still connected with the rest of Jenova. 

Jenova's skin was a mixture of red, white, black and blue colours. Jenova was so big that it was nearly touching the ceiling. Jenova had three huge spikes sticking out of its back. It also had a big, strange tail.

Jenova suddenly spun quickly around a few times and suddenly paralysed Red XIII with a flash from its eyes. Red XIII found that he couldn't move or do anything no matter how hard he tried, but he felt that it would wear off eventually.

Red light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he raised his sword and ran towards Jenova, slashing it three times with his sword and giving Jenova three bloody scars across its strange body. Jenova shrieked angrily.

Red light burst from the ground at Barret's feet as he charged up his gun for a moment, and fired an orange ball of energy from his gun, straight at Jenova. The ball of energy hit Jenova and exploded, sending it crashing hard into the wall on the other side of the room on the cargo ship. Jenova shrieked angrily, having received more injury from the attack.

Green light burst from the ground at Barret's feet as he quickly reached for a Materia attached to his gun-arm, and grasped it tightly, and the Materia glowed brightly at once. A bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere and struck Jenova, stunning it for even longer.

Jenova quickly got even angrier and suddenly fired a blue laser from its eyes, straight at Cloud. The laser hit Cloud and sent him flying backwards into the wall, giving Cloud a scorch mark where the laser had struck. Although injured, Cloud managed to get back up and ran back towards Jenova.

Green light burst from the ground at Barret's feet as he reached and grasped another Materia equipped on his gun-arm, which glowed brightly at once. A green cloud of poison appeared out of nowhere and struck Jenova, poisoning it and therefore slowly weakening it.

Cloud ran up to Jenova, raised his sword, and swung it at Jenova, slashing at its strange body and giving it another bloody mark across it. Jenova shrieked in pain and anger.

Jenova suddenly fired a blue-yellow laser from its tail, which went straight towards Cloud, then Barret, and then Red XIII, hitting all of them in turn and sending them flying backwards, hard into the ship wall and giving them bruises and scorch marks where the laser had hit. Cloud, Barret and Red XIII slowly managed to get up, even though they were all injured and badly bruised.

Barret raised his gun-arm and fired his bullets straight at Jenova, all of them hitting Jenova and giving it small, bloody gunshot holes across its strange body. Jenova shrieked in agony, while the technique it had used on Red XIII earlier had now finally worn off.

Red light instantly burst from the ground at Red XIII's feet as he ran very quickly up to Jenova, and he rammed into it very hard, going straight through the middle of it and back out, leaving a bloody hole in the monstrous creature, and badly wounding it. Jenova shrieked in agony.

Cloud raised his sword, ran up to Jenova and swung his sword at Jenova, slashing it across its body and giving it another sword wound. Jenova shrieked in agony once again, as its dark blood dripped down its body.

Jenova suddenly fired two blue lasers from its eyes, one heading straight for Cloud, and the other one heading straight for Barret, both lasers hitting their targets and sending both Cloud and Barret flying backwards into a wall, and leaving more scorch marks and injuries where the lasers had hit. 

Both Cloud and Barret just managed to get up, though they were now struggling to even stand up as a result from their injuries inflicted by Jenova.

Red light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he quickly raised his sword and ran towards Jenova, slashing it three times with his sword, and giving Jenova three more bloody scars across its strange body. Jenova shrieked angrily.

Green light burst from the ground at Barret's feet as grasped another Materia attached to his gun-arm, which at once glowed brightly. Some magical energy appeared out of nowhere and fully healed his injuries and restored his health.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII's feet as he also grasped a Materia on his head attached to the long feather on him, which glowed brightly at once. Some magical energy appeared out of nowhere and fully healed his injuries and restored his health.

Green light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he also grasped a Materia equipped to his sword, which also glowed bright green in an instant. Some magical energy appeared out of nowhere and fully healed his injuries and restored his health.

Barret raised his gun-arm, and fired more of his bullets at Jenova. All of the bullets hit Jenova and gave it even more gunshot wounds. Jenova shrieked in agony.

Cloud ran up to Jenova, raised his sword, and swung it at Jenova, slashing across its strange body and giving it another sword wound.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII's feet as he some flames appeared out of nowhere and struck Jenova, burning its skin slightly and giving it burns across its strange body. Jenova shrieked again, even louder this time.

Barret raised his gun-arm and fired more of his bullets at Jenova. All of the bullets hit Jenova and gave it even more gunshot wounds.

Cloud ran up to Jenova, raised his sword, and swung it at Jenova, slashing across its strange body and giving it another sword wound.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII's feet as some icicles appeared out of nowhere and struck Jenova, smashing against its strange body and giving it more bruises and injuries across its already badly wounded body.

Barret raised his gun-arm and fired more of his bullets at Jenova. All of the bullets hit Jenova and gave it even more gunshot wounds.

Cloud ran up to Jenova, raised his sword, and swung it at Jenova, slashing across its strange body and giving it another sword wound.

Red XIII quickly charged at Jenova, and slashed at it with his razor-sharp claws, giving even more bloody scratches across its body.

Getting very angry now, Jenova suddenly fired blue three lasers from its eyes, one to each of them. The lasers hit Cloud, Barret and Red XIII and sent them flying backwards, hard into a wall and giving them bruises, injuries and scorch marks where the lasers had hit.

Barret raised his gun-arm and fired more of his bullets at Jenova. All of the bullets hit Jenova and gave it even more gunshot wounds.

Cloud ran up to Jenova, raised his sword, and swung it at Jenova, slashing across its strange body and giving it another sword wound.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII's feet as more flames suddenly appeared out of nowhere and struck Jenova, giving even more burns than before and badly burning its body, wing-like arms and head.

Jenova shrieked a horrible shriek, in agony, as it was badly wounded, burnt, bruised and battered. Jenova then suddenly disappeared and vanished from the battle, and even from the ship itself. Cloud, Red XIII and Barret had managed to defeat Jenova this time, but it was still far from finished.

Jenova had probably gone back to Sephiroth.

Cloud, Red XIII and Barret had managed to survive from the fight with Jenova, but they were badly bruised, battered and injured, so they quickly healed themselves with potions as Aeris, Tifa and Yuffie woke up and were all alright. Jenova had something behind in its escape – a green, alien-like tentacle.

Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aeris, Red XIII and Yuffie slowly walked over to it. Yuffie was suddenly sick when she saw it and threw up all over the floor behind them, whilst the others took no notice, and stared down at the alien-like tentacle.

"I've seen this before…" said Aeris, thoughtfully.

"…Jenova…it's the arm of Jenova…" said Cloud, shivering slightly in revulsion and horror.

"Jenova...you mean to tell me that Sephiroth has been walking around with that damn thing?" asked Barret.

Suddenly, the green monstrous tentacle vanished from the boat just like Jenova and Sephiroth had done before hand earlier, and this was certainly no co-incidence.

"So…it was Sephiroth…" said Cloud, thoughtfully, and there was certainly no doubt among anyone now that Sephiroth had indeed returned, but it didn't make dealing with the fact of it any easier than before.

"The time is now…I think that was what he said," said Aeris, thoughtfully.

"The time is now…?" said Cloud, confused.

"I don't know what the hell is going on! Cloud, why don't you explain to me about what's happened so far?" said Barret.

Everyone else in the group immediately agreed to this, and they all turned to face Cloud, all of them listening intently, as he shrugged and nodded in response.

"I'll try, but don't anyone interrupt me while I'm explaining it all to you. Sephiroth went off searching for the Promised Land, so that he could become the ruler of the Planet. That was five years ago. Then Sephiroth came back and he mercilessly killed President Shinra. And just now, all of us saw Sephiroth. He was carrying Jenova with him too. This much I do know. He told me five years ago that he wants to go to the Promised Land with his mother, Jenova. I guess that's about it," explained Cloud. 

A message on the radio intercom suddenly appeared from the ship, heard from all around it.

"Attention dock workers. Order on the ship has been restored. The trouble has stopped. Keep an eye out for any suspicious people still on board. Attention, personnel. Main suspect has escaped, presumed to be lost overboard. We will be docking in Costa Del Sol in ten minutes. Please return to your work stations," said the message.

"We'd better damn well hurry and hide somewhere, you guys," suggested Barret, urgently.

"Yeah, maybe we shouldn't stay in here any longer," said Aeris, nodding in agreement.

"Sephiroth…is still alive. The Promised Land…does it really exist?" wondered Cloud, thoughtfully. 

No one else in the group had an answer to that question of course, but they all looked deeply thoughtful about the whole subject too.

Cloud, Aeris, Barret, Red XIII, Tifa and Yuffie left the room and they walked to somewhere else on the boat to hide. Cloud thought again about what had happened.

"Sephiroth asked me who I was. He knows who I am. Or at least he should. Just where has he been all these past five years…?" asked Cloud, thoughtfully, and then he suddenly noticed Tifa staring at him with a mixture of concern and alarm on her face.

"What is it, Tifa?" asked Cloud, surprised. 

Tifa hesitated for a while, looking clearly worried and uncomfortable about something, and then she finally spoke.

"Even we don't remember what ultimately happened at Nibelheim, Cloud, so maybe even he doesn't either. I think it's important that we should know. But we don't…" said Tifa.

"That ain't what's important. What's important now is the Planet. It don't matter what happened five years ago. It's now that's important," said Barret. Red XIII nodded in agreement.

"Barret's right. Before you start worrying about the past, we'd better make sure we have a future," said Red XIII.

The sharp dock whistle made them spin around and head back to the cargo hold. The cargo ship travelled for a while afterwards and then it finally arrived in Costa Del Sol.


	49. Costa Del Sol: Landing At Costa Del Sol

Chapter 48 – The Landing At Costa Del Sol 

The cargo ship finally arrived at the next continent. The ship stopped at Costa Del Sol harbour. Costa Del Sol was a holiday resort and the weather was very hot there. Cloud, Red XIII, Aeris, Tifa, Barret and Yuffie sneaked off the boat and they stood in the harbour.

"Damn! It sure is hot here! But I sure feel better now that I can say goodbye to that sailor suit. All of ya have to mingle like regular folks around here," said Barret.

"Oh, too bad. I liked Barret's sailor suit. He looked so cute," joked Aeris, giggling, and she heard Cloud, Tifa and Yuffie all sniggering behind her.

"What do you mean cute?" asked Barret, annoyed, glaring at each of them in turn.

"Right, well. Barret, why don't you use that sailor suit for pyjamas? Right, Cloud?" said Tifa, grinning.

"Ah, you look like a bear wearing a marshmallow," joked Cloud, turning to Barret.

Aeris and Tifa were almost in tears laughing, and Red XIII was forced to support Yuffie as she doubled over, giggling. Barret snarled angrily.

"The hell's that supposed to mean!? This happens to be the most comfortable, so shut up!" snapped Barret.

"Would you kind of hurry? The heat here is dying my nose. And I'm tired from trying to stand on two feet and not on all fours back there," said Red XIII.

"Too bad, Red XIII. If you were black instead of red, you probably could have passed as a guard dog," joked Barret, chuckling for the first time in weeks.

"Very funny," muttered Red XIII, annoyed at being called a dog, as he looked more like a young red lion.

"I'm getting too hot and dry here as well. Can we move already?" complained Yuffie.

"Alright, we'll take a break and then head off. Don't wander too far off," said Cloud. Barret snorted.

"I'll wander wherever I damn well want! Who made him the damn leader, anyways?" said Barret, annoyed, not looking for an answer to that question.

"It looks like my mane got messed up. I'm going to rest somewhere cool," said Red XIII.

"Don't bother looking for me," said Yuffie, irritably, as she ran off, while Red XIII and Barret ran off as well.

"I think that I'll go swimming. There's a really long beach here. Maybe we could go for a swim?" asked Tifa, grinning at Aeris, who grinned back.

"Or we could get a tan! What do you think, Cloud?" asked Aeris, giggling.

Cloud snapped out of his train of thought and stared blankly at both girls. They smiled at him, though, and turned to face each other again, giving a knowing nod.

"Looks like your cool exterior's cracking," said Aeris, smirking sideways at him. 

Before Cloud could ask what she meant by that, she and Tifa were around the corner and had vanished into the crowd. Sighing wearily and shaking his head, Cloud followed the others into Costa Del Sol. 

He was never going to be able to understand women…

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Rufus and Heidegger had just left the ship and they were now standing in the harbour. A helicopter landed, ready to pick them up.

"Good work everyone," said Rufus, coolly, turning to face the sailors. 

That was about as much praise as he gave to his workers, so they took the compliment well.

"What a long trip that was…hurry up with that!" shouted Heidegger, also talking to the sailors as if jealous of their received praise.

"Yes, sir!" said the sailors, not noticing.

"The chopper's coming for you, Mr. President," said Heidegger, saluting as he turned back to face Rufus.

"I heard that Sephiroth was on board the cargo ship," said Rufus, his face cool and calm, but the tone of his voice was dripping with venomous anger. Heidegger gulped.

"Y-Yes, sir," admitted Heidegger, nervously.

"And it seems that Cloud and the others were also able to sneak on board the cargo ship too," said Rufus, menacingly, in a soft, dangerous voice.

"Y-Yes, sir," repeated Heidegger, getting more and more nervous, as Rufus glared icily at him.

"They all slipped through and escaped. You messed up BIG this time, Heidegger," said Rufus, sharply and coldly. 

He was now looking very hard and murderously at Heidegger.

"I-I'm ashamed of myself," said Heidegger, quietly, not even daring to look at Rufus. 

Rufus snorted harshly.

"Is that all you can do? Give one-word answers and apologise for everything? I told you, Heidegger. Things are different from when my father was in charge. I won't tolerate your hopeless incompetence. Either sort your own mess out, or you can say goodbye to your job and to your freedom," said Rufus, sharply and coldly.

"Ready for departure, sir!" said a sailor. 

Rufus nodded and walked towards the helicopter but just before getting on it, he turned back and he faced Heidegger, who stood still, not following.

"Just do something useful for once without hopelessly screwing it up. I'll be expecting some results on the search soon, Heidegger. Or ELSE…" said Rufus, menacingly. 

Without another glance back, Rufus calmly got on the helicopter and then it quickly flew off seconds after Rufus had gone into it.

Heidegger watched the chopper take off with President Rufus in it, and roared in anger and frustration as soon as it was out of sight. 

Cursing loudly, Heidegger knocked three sailors off into the water; chased away any curious bystanders, and he stormed off, growling with rage.


	50. Costa Del Sol: Hojo On The Beach

Chapter 49 - Hojo On The Costa Del Sol Beach 

Costa Del Sol (the Coast of the Sun) was the third biggest tourist hot spot in the known world, topped only by the Golden Saucer and Wutai.

The town was well known worldwide for its spacious beaches, which stretched as far as the eye could see to seemingly touch the sky.

The sandy shores were known as the Bronze Capital of the World, mainly because if you tanned there, you'd lose it if you went anywhere else to keep it.

Also said to be the second-hottest place in the world aside from the Corel Desert Prison, Costa Del Sol was famous for its prime surfing capabilities.

The natural curve of the cliffs to the north pushed the wind along at high speeds, kicking up waves sometimes twenty feet tall. Anybody who wanted to look good at a certain place did it at Costa Del Sol.

Unfortunately, Cloud had no time to take part in the lavish tropical parties every evening, or sample the unique cuisine. His only interest was finding where Sephiroth had gone to, and hunting him down. 

Still, he had to admit, there were a few things he liked about Costa Del Sol. And the others were certainly enjoying themselves.

Red XIII was laying in the shade of a house, since his nose was drying from the sun. Some kids were kicking a ball around nearby in the street, and once it accidentally headed straight for Red XIII, but his tail suddenly batted it back to the kids.

The children laughed, clearly amused, and kicked it in his direction again. His tail waved and batted it back again, and the ball went rolling back to the kids. 

The children laughed again, and they all started to play with him, always kicking the ball to him and his tail was always knocking the ball back to them, even though Red XIII seemed fast asleep, which also amused the kids. Seeing what was happening, Yuffie walked over to him.

"Having fun?" asked Yuffie, grinning. 

Red XIII yawned, and opened his good eye (his other, of course, was scarred from a previous battle he fought, several years ago), and glanced at Yuffie in puzzlement.

"What was that? Is it time to go?" asked Red XIII.

"What, you were asleep? Your tail was just rolling the ball back to the kids," said Yuffie, bewildered.

"It moves independently," explained Red XIII, as his tail knocked the ball back again. The kids giggled, and Red XIII turned his head to look at them, in curiosity.

"Oh...sorry to wake you then," said Yuffie, still rather surprised at this.

            "No, it's okay. I don't need the sleep, but the heat here just makes me drowsy," said Red XIII.

            "Me too, and I don't even have fur," muttered Yuffie, with a slight yawn. Cloud came running up to them.

            "So, you enjoying your day off?" asked Yuffie, smirking broadly. Cloud snorted irritably.

            "I'm trying to see if anyone's seen a certain man in a black cape around here. No one seems to care though," said Cloud.

            "Well, this is Costa Del Sol, after all. Everyone's just here to relax and forget about any troubles, you know. Why don't you go and relax too? I heard Tifa say she was going to go to the beach and go swimming. Why don't you try and catch up with her? You may even get to see her in a bikini," said Yuffie, still smirking.

            "Um...maybe later," replied Cloud, quickly, hoping she didn't notice his faint blush at the very thought of...

Just then, Cloud watched as Red XIII'S tail batted the ball back to the laughing kids yet again, and Cloud looked at him curiously.

            "I'm not doing it on purpose, my tail moves independently," explained Red XIII, shortly.

Cloud nodded, and he turned to walk away just as the kids kicked the ball towards Red XIII again. It went right in front of Cloud's foot as he was taking a step, and he accidentally kicked the ball hard, straight towards Red XIII'S face with surprisingly strong force.

SMACK!!!!!

Red XIII jumped up with a startled yelp, and rubbed his aching face with his paws, growling angrily at Cloud, baring his razor-sharp teeth.

"Oops…uh…I think maybe I will go and find Tifa," said Cloud, trying to keep himself from laughing, and he turned and ran off quickly as he could, while Red XIII growled menacingly after him, his teeth bared.

"You go off and do that…" growled Red XIII, with unusual anger for him, and he laid back down in the shade again, his face still aching painfully.

"I'm going to go steal Materia from innocent bystanders here and sell it back to them for lots of money. Catch you later," said Yuffie, grinning mischievously, and she ran off.

Pushing through the crowd, Cloud spotted Aeris in front of a large green tent, shouting inside to somebody, probably Tifa. Aeris poked her head through the tent flap and sighed.

"These aren't bathing suits! They're strands of yarn with glandular conditions!" shouted Tifa.

"Just come on out! It's not like anybody you know is here or anything. Barret and Cloud are probably at the hotel planning our next move, Yuffie's stealing and selling Materia, and I saw Red XIII sleeping in the shade just a few minutes ago," said Aeris.

Making a choked groan, Tifa pushed back the tent flap and came out into the sun. Cloud gaped at her as she saw her come out. The bikini seemed to highlight Tifa's every breathtaking feature. Cloud was rendered speechless with his mouth hanging open. Aeris was suddenly aware of Cloud and she turned to face him, and grinned when she noticed what Cloud was staring at.

"Appealing, eh?" asked Aeris, grinning. 

Cloud didn't remember speaking aloud, but he gave a rather weak nod and a rather hoarse sound of agreement.

Tifa pushed her thick black hair off her shoulders and turned around; ready to ask whom Aeris was talking to, and she came to an abrupt stop when she saw Cloud. Her numbed fingers slowly let go of her hair, causing it to drop down and taper over her shoulders in a great black stream. 

Hoping he mistook the sudden flush of crimson that washed over her entire face for being out in the heat, Tifa quickly regained as much composure as she could, and regarded him with a nod and smiled.

"Uh, h-hello, Cloud. I-I thought that you might be at the inn w-with Barret," said Tifa, embarrassed, trying desperately to stop blushing with sheer embarrassment but failing miserably.

"No, I-I thought…I thought I'd check up on you two. Uh…you know, because Sephiroth might be…um…anywhere…" stammered Cloud, trying his best not to gape at her. 

Nodding, Tifa turned around and headed for the beach. Cloud choked on his breath as she spun around, and she half-turned back around to face him.

"Is something wrong?" asked Tifa, pushing her hair off her shoulder again.

"N-No, nothing's wrong. Just be…be careful," gasped Cloud, annoyed at himself. 

Grinning and giving a wink to Aeris, Tifa started off again. A moment later she was back, but she looked startled and alarmed. Cloud was immediately alert and serious at her expression.

"Cloud, come quick!" said Tifa, suddenly, running back to him, and she ran down to the beach, while Cloud and Aeris followed her. They came to the beach. 

Tifa was pointing to man in a white lab coat who was surrounded by three girls on a deckchair just in front of the seashore on the beach.

"Is that…Hojo…?" asked Cloud, surprised and stunned, wondering why Hojo would be here of all places.

"Come on, go over there and talk to him," said Tifa, urgently, and she, Cloud, and Aeris all ran over to Hojo, who was lying down lazily on his deckchair, with the three girls surrounding him for some bizarre reason.

Why Hojo was wearing his lab coat in the hot, blazing sun was anyone's guess, but they wondered more about what he was doing there. 

Cloud noticed several scars in the shape of claw marks on his chest, and knew that was the result of Red XIII's attack on Hojo in the Shinra Headquarters, when they had first met the lion-like creature.

"What do you want?" asked one of the girls, clearly annoyed with the interruption.

"I want to talk to Hojo," replied Cloud, coldly.

"Professor Hojo, someone's here to see you, sir," said one of the other girls. Hojo groaned lazily.

"I'm busy right now…" moaned Hojo, but when he spotted Cloud, Tifa, and Aeris, his eyes widened, and he quickly got up, stood on the deckchair, and faced them, his drowsiness forgotten.

"Oh, I remember you all now. Yes, yes, I remember now. It's been a long time, Cloud. Sometimes, you've just got to do something like this," said Hojo, calmly.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" snapped Cloud, sharply, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

"It should be obvious even to imbeciles like you, shouldn't it? I'm getting a tan," replied Hojo, coolly, with a snigger. Cloud snarled angrily.

"Answer me!" demanded Cloud, furiously, beginning to really lose his patience.

"Hmm…I believe that we're both after the same goal, aren't we?" replied Hojo, calmly.

"You mean Sephiroth?" asked Cloud, curiously.

"Did you see him? Did you speak to him?" asked Hojo, curiously. Cloud nodded.

"I see…Ha, ha, ha!" said Hojo, suddenly laughing insanely, taking Cloud and the others aback.

"What is it?" asked Cloud, surprised. Hojo stopped laughing and stared hard at Cloud, with a very strange look on his face, and a dark glint in his eyes that Cloud didn't like.

"Oh, nothing. I've just remembered a certain…hypothesis that might concern you. Haven't you ever had the feeling that something is calling you? Or that you had to visit some certain place? It's just a theory I've had for a while," said Hojo, very curiously, and Cloud could see that Hojo looked intensely interested to know the answer.

Cloud immediately gave a lot of thought to Hojo's words. Cloud wasn't quite sure why, but for some reason, those words just seemed to have a big effect on him…

"I'll go anywhere Sephiroth is at! To beat him and put an end to all of this!" shouted Cloud.

"I see…this could be interesting. VERY interesting…but just ask yourself this for a moment. Were you REALLY in SOLDIER? Wouldn't you really have liked to have been my pet guinea pig instead?" asked Hojo, sniggering.

At this, Cloud was extremely furious and filled with sudden murderous rage, and he took out his sword, and was just about to strike Hojo with it to kill him where he stood, when Tifa stopped him just in time.

"Hey, it's a bad idea to kill him right now. Not here, especially," said Tifa. 

Cloud slowly nodded, and he reluctantly put his sword away. Hojo laughed mockingly at Cloud, then he turned away and faced Aeris. His eyes widened in surprise and recognition.

"Say…aren't you the Ancient?" asked Hojo, surprised, staring hard at Aeris.

"I'm Aeris. The very least that you could do is remember my name. I want you to tell me something, Professor Hojo. I know that I'm an Ancient. My mother told me," said Aeris.

"Your mother…? Oh…you mean Ifalna. And just how is she?" asked Hojo. Aeris stared at him in surprise, taken aback.

"You mean you don't even know…? She died…" said Aeris, miserably.

"I see that…but that's not quite what I meant. You still speak to her spirit, after all, right? So how is she?" questioned Hojo, curiously. Aeris avoided his gaze, and quickly choose to change the subject.

"Professor Hojo, is Jenova truly an Ancient? Is Sephiroth an Ancient too? Do we all have the same blood?" asked Aeris, curiously. Hojo slowly shook his head.

"Head west…" muttered Hojo, quietly and clearly.

"He's muttering slowly. That must mean he's hiding something!" said Aeris. 

Hojo didn't reply, and he lay back down on the deckchair, turning away from them, apparently no longer interested in the encounter anymore.

"Hey! Answer us!" shouted Tifa. 

Hojo still didn't reply or even glance at them, acting now as though they weren't even there at all.

"It's no use. Let's just go," said Cloud, frustrated. 

They nodded, and they walked away from Hojo, walking along the beach together, by the shore. Cloud's fists were clenched and he was clearly seething with rage after the encounter with Hojo. 

Both Tifa and Aeris looked concerned, then they both looked at each other and smiled mischievously, and they both stopped suddenly, by the shore, whispering to each other. Cloud stopped in his tracks, and looked at them, puzzled.

"Hey, what's up? What are two talking about?" asked Cloud, bewildered, as both Tifa and Aeris grinned broadly at him.

"You know, Cloud, we both agree that this search for Sephiroth really seems to make you stressed out all the time, and it's really not good for you. You really need to loosen up, you know," said Aeris, smirking.

"So we agree that it's about time you relaxed for once, get your mind off things for a moment. This is Costa Del Sol after all, where everyone goes to relax, even Hojo, and you deserve a break once in a while, you know," said Tifa, smiling.

Cloud looked at both of them, still grinning mischievously at him, and he disagreed with their words, of course, although for some reason, he couldn't get angry or annoyed with either of them, nor could he look away from their intense gaze.

"Look, we really need to find Sephiroth as soon as possible, and if we keep wasting time…" began Cloud, but Tifa and Aeris suddenly both grabbed his arms, still grinning, and pushed him playfully into the water, catching him by surprise.

Cloud let out a startled yelp as he lost his balance and fell face first into the water, disappearing under it for a moment, and then managed to resurface after a few moments, which wasn't an easy task due to the fact he was still in his SOLDIER outfit and that he still had his sword strapped to his back.

Spluttering and coughing slightly, Cloud slowly rose out of the water and stood up slightly, shivering all over, his clothes drenched and his hair a floppy mess, and he was still standing in the water, just before the shore, in front of Tifa and Aeris.

Both of them were clearly trying hard to suppress their laughter, giggling slightly behind their hands, but finally they both burst out laughing, and had to lean onto each other as they struggled to contain themselves, while Cloud just stood still, looking at them with a strange expression.

Tifa and Aeris both finally stopped laughing, and looked at Cloud, and both of them were suddenly nervous when they saw Cloud standing stiff and rigid, looking at them intently, and there was clearly no sign of a smile or any expression of amusement from him.

"Sorry, Cloud, we were just playing around," said Tifa, uncertainly, uneasy as Cloud didn't respond, just stared.

"Yeah, we really didn't mean to annoy you, Cloud, it's just…" began Aeris, nervously, when Cloud suddenly leaned forwards, and grabbed both of them by the arms, and before they could react, he pulled them towards him and pushed them into the water, both of them falling beneath it.

After a moment, both Aeris and Tifa arose from the water to the surface, both of them soaked and spluttering, having been caught by surprise like Cloud had been by them. They both stood in the sea and looked in surprise at Cloud, who suddenly grinned at them, still standing in the sea, in front of them.

"You know, another thing I learned from the ordeal with Sephiroth is that one ill turn deserves another," said Cloud, grinning with amusement.

"Well, you certainly had us fooled alright," said Tifa, who was also smiling.

"Yeah, so what do you say? Could you lighten up once in a while, Cloud?" asked Aeris, eagerly. 

Seeing that this was one discussion he wasn't going to win at, Cloud sighed and nodded, giving in. He really couldn't find it in himself to be angry with either of them either, only the opposite of that. Sephiroth would have to wait a while.

"Okay, fair enough. But tomorrow morning, sunrise, we leave here immediately…deal?" asked Cloud.

"Okay, Cloud, it's a deal. And besides…as you all well know, I…I really haven't had much fun for many years, so it would be really nice if I could now…" said Aeris, quietly.

Cloud and Tifa were both silent, looking sympathetic, when Aeris suddenly grinned mischievously and grasped a Materia on her quarterstaff, causing it to glow brightly and the waves suddenly grew larger, to their amazement and awe.

Aeris waved her arm to the right, and the waves suddenly headed for Tifa, and quickly washed over her, drenching her completely, and afterwards, as they passed, more waves drenched her. Aeris giggled with laughter, as Tifa stood back up only to be soaked by the waves again.

"Hey, watch it! Cloud, help!" protested Tifa; though it was obvious they were both just playing around.

Cloud couldn't help but grin with amusement at the moment, and at Tifa's words, he made his way sneakily towards Aeris, and suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist, causing the waves to disperse and the Materia spell to wear off, as Aeris let out a gasp of surprise, and looked around at Cloud, who held her from behind, grinning at her, and she smiled at him too.

"Now you're gonna get it, Miss Aeris!" said Cloud, suddenly picking up Aeris in his arms, and lifting her over his head, surprised at how much he enjoyed this, and Aeris could feel herself blush as he held her in his arms.

"No, stop!" squealed Aeris, but to no avail, as Cloud threw her over his head, and dunked her straight into the water, and she fell with a loud splash, and disappeared below it.

Aeris rose from the water moments later, dripping wet and laughing uncontrollably, as was Tifa.

"Hey, you jerk!" exclaimed Aeris, between bursts of laughter, as she beamed at Cloud, her eyes beautifully alight with happiness.

"Now we see how Cloud Strife picks up women," joked Tifa, giggling, and Aeris laughed as well. Cloud grinned.

"That's right, I pick them up like…this!" said Cloud, and he lunged forwards towards Tifa, and grabbed her, picking her up and holding her in his arms. 

Tifa looked surprised and very embarrassed, as her face flushed crimson, and Cloud looked also rather shy as well, but they both still gazed at each other, while Aeris watched in amusement.

"Well, Mr Strife, just what do you plan to do with me now?" asked Tifa, coolly, her arms around his neck, as she lay there in Cloud's arms just above the water, while Cloud stood in it and grinned at her.

"Well, maybe I could do…this!" said Cloud, and he fell backwards into the water, dragging Tifa along with him who let out a cry of surprise and laughter, as they both fell into the water and disappeared under it. 

Aeris fell to her knees in laughter, and once Cloud and Tifa resurfaced again, both of them were laughing as well, and the three of them commenced to splash each other playfully and rapidly without mercy.

Red XIII and Yuffie both glanced at the beach, and they both were very surprised and taken aback to see Cloud enjoying himself like that, as he still played with Tifa and Aeris.

Red XIII actually managed a rather thoughtful smile, clearly amused and glad to see them being able to enjoy themselves, while Yuffie glanced down sharply and suspiciously at the yellow 'Illusion' Materia she held in her hand, and wondered whether it was playing tricks on her.

On the beach, sitting up slightly on his deckchair, still surrounded by the three girls, Hojo watched the three companions and friends playing happily with each other, and snorted, disliking their sentimentality towards each other.

Hojo was the head scientist of Shinra, but he knew that he didn't even have to be the head scientist to figure out the obvious truth that Cloud so dearly loved both Aeris AND Tifa, and that he would put himself on the line at any time for them, and they for him, as they loved him dearly too.

And it was also obvious that the only reason they stayed friends was that Cloud was having an extremely tough time trying to decide between the two of them, and it was obvious that this was something he just could not work out at all.

Both Aeris and Tifa knew all that as well, and as a result, they were quietly but clearly competing against each other for Cloud's affections, and yet they still remained the best of friends with each other, which was quite remarkable.

Hojo turned away from them, and lay back down on his deckchair, feeling that if he watched them any longer, he was going to throw up at this romantic triangle they shared.

As if a thought occurred to him, Hojo suddenly took his lab coat off and threw it onto the sand. Giggling, the three girls sat around Hojo on the deckchair. Hojo placed one of them on his lap, and she giggled before they kissed passionately and lustily.

Luckily not noticing this bizarre and sickening display, Cloud, Aeris and Tifa continued to enjoy themselves on the beach, and finally stopped as the sun began to set. 

All soaking wet and drenched, but still happily talking with each other, Cloud, Aeris and Tifa all went back to the inn, starting to fell tired, all of them having already got dried and changed. Cloud, Aeris and Tifa all entered the inn and suddenly they heard Barret from inside the bathroom, still wearing his sailor suit and posing.

"Marlene, you okay? Daddy will wear this when I go to see you," said Barret. 

Cloud barely managed to keep himself from laughing, but Aeris and Tifa didn't, as they both giggled. Barret was obviously drunk. Cloud banged hard on the bathroom door.

"Hey, damn you, someone's in here, alright!?" yelled Barret, furiously, cursing with rage.

Cloud spotted the innkeeper sitting on a snooker table nearby, groaning in frustration, his head buried in his hands.

"God, I feel awful. Hey, you! Weren't you the one with that big drunken sailor?" asked the innkeeper.

"I don't have any idea of whom you're talking about," lied Cloud, quickly.

"Listen to this then...all of a sudden, that big sailor just busts in here, and takes over the restroom. He's been in there moaning ever since. I don't know what I'm gonna do. And he hasn't even paid his hotel bill. Ah...if you're checking in, would you pay his bill, too?" asked the innkeeper.

Cloud was about to say no, when Barret suddenly burst out the bathroom, knocking the whole bathroom door off its hinges and sending it flying into a wall in the process and he ran to Cloud, and the innkeeper, who had his face buried even more hopelessly in his hands.

"Hey, Cloud! Still too early, ain't it?" asked Barret. 

Cloud was about to say yes, when Barret suddenly rushed back into the now door-less bathroom, and started moaning in there again. 

The innkeeper raised an eyebrow and frowned in annoyance at Cloud. Cloud felt so annoyed and humiliated that he felt like punching Barret in the face.

"What now? Call it a night? That's two hundred Gil for both you and your sailor friend. And an extra four hundred for the door," said the innkeeper. 

Growling in annoyance, Cloud quickly took out eight hundred Gil from his pocket and gave it to the innkeeper. The Innkeeper accepted it and walked off.

Tifa and Aeris also paid for beds for themselves and Yuffie as well, while Red XIII would rather just sleep on the floor, of course. Cloud, Tifa, and Aeris made their way to their beds, as they all felt tired. Tifa turned to face Cloud.

"Thanks a lot for relaxing earlier, Cloud, I really enjoyed seeing that side of you," said Tifa, softly, and she kissed Cloud on the cheek before going off to her bed.

Cloud stood still on the spot in surprise and unexpected delight, reeling from it, until he noticed Aeris round on him as well, and this made him even more nervous, as she smiled at him, her beautiful green eyes sparkling happily.

"You know, Cloud, I really had a lot of fun today too. More than I ever remember having. As well as saving my life quite a few times already, that's another thing I'm grateful for. Thank you so much for everything, Cloud," said Aeris, softly.

"Look, I haven't…" began Cloud, awkwardly, but Aeris put a finger to his lips and shook her head slowly, kissing him softly on the cheek, causing his heart to race even faster.

"Don't try to deny it. You're always here for me, Cloud, whenever I need someone. Whether its saving my life or cheering me up, you're always here for me. And you know…I don't think I've ever really thanked you for it," said Aeris, softly, gazing deeply at Cloud, who seemed too stunned to move, his heart hammering inside his chest.

"You really don't need to…" began Cloud, nervously; a growing anxiety and excitement growing inside him, but Aeris shook her head again, still beaming and gazing at him.

"I want to, Cloud. I've been giving this a lot of though since you rescued me from the Shinra Headquarters, and the one thing I really want…is you, Cloud. I…I never thought I'd say this to anyone else again, after Zack, but…I'd like you to…to be my boyfriend," said Aeris, softly.

Cloud's blue Mako glowing eyes flared wide in an instant, stunned and speechless, his heart thundering against his chest, and he could hardly believe this was happening, that he was being asked this by the girl he had quickly grown to love so much since they had met. 

Aeris stood still, smiling happily at him, patiently waiting for an answer, her heart beating wildly inside her chest as well as she waited breathlessly as Cloud finally replied.

"Sure, I'd…I'd really love to, Aeris. But remember, we're still continuing this journey and its objectives," said Cloud, feeling wildly excited and tense as Aeris smiled happily with sheer delight, her eyes sparkling joyfully.

"Of course, Cloud, I expected you'd say that, and it's fine with me. Thank you so much for being with me, Cloud," said Aeris, softly, leaning closer to him and gazing deeply into his eyes, and Cloud stared just as deeply back. 

Feeling a sudden surge of affection for Aeris, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her close to him.

"No problem, it's my greatest pleasure, Miss Aeris Gainsborough," said Cloud, quietly; grinning broadly, and drawing his face even closer to hers so that their noses touched and they still gazed happily and longingly at each other, held tightly in each other's arms.

"Then kiss me, Mr Cloud Strife," whispered Aeris, softly, and Cloud immediately drew his lips to hers, and they kissed passionately, holding each other tightly and lovingly.

For several long minutes, Cloud and Aeris stood alone and unwatched, holding each other tightly in their arms, their lips locked tightly together as they kissed again and again, their kisses filled with deep love and passion for one another, before they realised how late it was getting, and with a last deep, long, passionate kiss between the two of them, they each left for their own beds, both of them looking longingly at each other as they left in different directions.

Heart hammering hard inside his chest, and his brain feeling numb with shock and overwhelming delight at what had just happened, Cloud quickly lay flat on one of the inn beds and lay there for a while, finding that he just couldn't get his mind off Aeris and the moment they had earlier. 

Eventually Cloud fell fast asleep, and very soon, he was having a dream. Or rather…a nightmare.

****************************************************************

_A sudden wave of heat slammed into Cloud as he raced up the stairs of the Shinra Mansion at Nibelheim, causing his skin to break out in a sweat._

_By the time he had reached the top of the spiral staircase, his shirt was heavy and damp as it clung to him. Past the secret door and out into the hall of the mansion, Cloud ran as fast as his legs would take him._

_Cloud let out a roar of fury and horror as he saw the town of Nibelheim completely engulfed in massive flames. Rushing outside, he felt the air grow heavier as clouds of thick black smoke filled his lungs and cut off his breath. _

_His eyes watering with tears at this and at what was happening to his hometown, Cloud staggered through the haze of smoke and found the flaming ruins of the old water tower in the middle of town._

_As the smoke began to rise into the air, Cloud saw several surviving villagers screaming in terror as they were engulfed and burned to death in the flames._

_Screams and cries of pain filled the black, starless night, echoing in the Cloud's head, before the screams and the people with them finally died out, but the greedy roaring of the flames did not, burning deeper into their flesh._

_"Terrible…Sephiroth…this is just…too terrible…you bastard, I swear that you'll pay for this!!" screamed Cloud, wiping tears from his eyes._

To his right, Cloud suddenly spotted the blond haired Shinra soldier lying injured and bruised on the ground, away from the flames, the very same Shinra soldier whom he had come into town and to the Mount Nibel Reactor with. 

The blond-haired Shinra soldier stirred and groaned, clutching his chest in pain, and breathing slowly and heavily, coughing slightly inside his helmet, and he seemed too injured to stand back up. 

Despite the burns all over his body and some gashes on his forehead, he seemed to be alive and would live to see another day, but nevertheless, he would need help all the same.

Cloud dropped down to one knee on the ground next to the blond-haired soldier as the young man lost consciousness, and Cloud quickly pulled the tight helmet off him.

Looking down at the blond haired Shinra soldier's face, Cloud's numbed fingers suddenly dropped the helmet onto the ground in shock as he slowly stood up and began to back away from the unconscious soldier in horror.

His heart pounded hard, aching against his chest, and cold dread and panic suddenly became a solid lump of ice in his stomach and throat.

_Looking down at the blond-haired Shinra soldier, Cloud saw his own pale and bloodied face beneath the helmet…_

****************************************************************

Cloud snapped awake in a flash, jerking upright his bed, startled, and suddenly alarmed. Panting breathlessly, his stomach tight with fear, Cloud ran his hands over his face, checking for scars, but he found none.

Still feeling the sweat run down his forehead, Cloud sighed and dropped back down onto the bed. To his right, he heard Tifa stir and mumble something on her bed, but she rolled over before she had finished.

On the far side of the room, Aeris slept peacefully in her bed, still with a very wide smile on her face, while Barret lay on a separate bed between Tifa's and Aeris' beds. 

Red XIII snoozed quietly with a low growl in his throat, at the foot of Aeris' bed, swishing his tail and stretching occasionally, but otherwise he appeared quite asleep.

Yuffie was still missing, no doubt stealing Materia from people in their sleep, but Cloud didn't doubt that she'd show up before they left tomorrow. He was glad that he had hid all their Materia in a safe place so she couldn't steal it from them.

"(What a dream…I must be losing my mind…)" thought Cloud, shaking his head wearily, and then he gazed up at the ceiling, still slightly shaken from the dream.

His thoughts wandered to Sephiroth again, and eventually, as the faintest grey light of dawn peeked into the windows, Cloud drifted off to sleep.

Late the next morning, Cloud awoke, groggy and bleary-eyed. Claiming he had just not slept well last night, he waved the others concern away and began to pack.

As he stuffed his clothes, supplies and other belongings into his backpack, he began to realize he had been on the road for at least a few weeks, and there was no sign of Sephiroth, only vague rumours.

Still, he had been on the cargo ship, so he was at least still alive. No other human could just appear and disappear in an instant like that.

Cloud absentmindedly pushed down his items into his backpack as he began to recall what Hojo had said on the beach, the other day.

"Haven't you ever had the feeling that something is calling you? Or that you had to visit some certain place? It's just a theory I've had for a while," said Hojo, very curiously, a strange and dark glint in his beady eyes.

Thinking about Hojo always led Cloud to Aeris, and from there, to Sephiroth, and from there, to Jenova. The only thing that Cloud couldn't seem to figure out was how Professor Gast fitted into all of this.

Sephiroth had said that Gast had produced him from a mixture of human cells, Jenova cells, and raw Mako energy, but Gast had mysteriously died later without telling anyone anything outside of a few incomplete, hazy reports that were gathering dust in the Shinra mansion.

Somehow or another, those four pieces all fit together in the same picture, but it was like trying to put a jigsaw puzzle together blindfolded. 

In time, everything would be revealed, but until then…

"Are you really going to take that? I'm sure you'd look better in a pair of trunks," said Tifa, giggling.

Blinking and coming out of his trance, Cloud looked down and saw that he had his hand wrapped tightly around Tifa's small bathing suit, and his hand jammed down into his pack.

Startled, he threw the bathing suit onto the opposite bed and quickly snapped his pack shut. Despite Tifa's giggling, Cloud managed a frown and stomped out of the hotel.

Outside, the afternoon sun blazed overhead and beat down onto Cloud furiously, as if it was determined to melt him in his boots. Tifa and the others, even Yuffie, followed him outside and to the gates of town located underneath a large archway with the words, "Costa Del Sol" carved into it. 

The sandstone streets came to an abrupt stop outside of the city, and the smell of coconut oil and sea water quickly faded away, replaced by the smell of freshly mowed grass and cool mountain air.


	51. North Corel: Mountain Pass To Another Re...

Chapter 50 - Mountain Pass To Another Reactor 

Past Costa Del Sol, the Corel Mountains towered over the land on top of a high plateau. Cloud and the others trudged up the long and winding trail, passing over lush green plains and stretches of dry, thirsty rock as he got into the foothills. 

Through the centre of the mountain pass, a sparkling blue river washed through the mountains underneath a long wooden bridge that spanned the gap above a deep canyon. 

Off in the distance, a low rumbling and a thick mist of water showed that the river came to a sudden drop-off, probably no more than a half mile away from where he was right now.

It was getting close to sunset when the path turned and went alongside the mountains instead of into them. To the west, the sun became a blazing ball of molten red and orange as it sank beneath the tall mountain peaks. 

The Mako-rich mountains shone with an unearthly glow in the crimson sunset, causing shards of pinks and green to fill the air. As stars began to pop up in the soft purple sky, the path again turned west into the mountains, climbing over a small hill littered with shrubs and boulders. 

Limp, dead trees hung their branches lifelessly, and the grass was brown and brittle, snapping easily under Cloud's footfalls. They found a man lying down on the floor against a rock. He seemed to be resting, but he looked terrified.

            "What is it?" asked Cloud, curiously.

            "I just passed a guy in a black cape back there. I tried to tell him that it was dangerous ahead, and he ignored me. But that look was his eyes was unnervingly cold. Scary…" said the man.

            "Sephiroth…" said Cloud, frowning.

            "There was a man in a black cape, here, too?" asked Aeris, surprised, looking at Cloud anxiously. Cloud grasped her hand in reassurance and nodded.

            "Aw man, what a drag!" complained Yuffie.

            "Hmm…I'm moving on ahead," said Red XIII.

"Let's hurry on!" agreed Tifa, eagerly.

Cloud glanced at Barret, but then he suddenly noticed that Barret was looking down the path ahead very regretfully, as if he would rather not go along it at all, and he was being strangely quiet all of a sudden. Unusually quiet, especially for him…

Barret then sighed wearily and shrugged, and walked slowly along the mountain path, very slowly. Cloud watched him carefully. Even if he was on their side, he was getting suspicious of him at the moment, the way he was acting all of a sudden.

Aeris struggled along beside Cloud, grasping his hand in hers, and Cloud held it tightly, and they both smiled at each other for a moment, while behind them, Tifa scowled. 

Aeris was in a cheerful mood indeed, despite not having an easy time walking along the rocky path in her long pink dress, so Cloud had to help her along. 

Aeris shaded her eyes with one hand, holding her Cloud's hand in the other, as she looked ahead at the setting sun behind the mountain.

"It's all so beautiful…the sun, the mountain, the winding path, that single tree at the very top…" said Aeris, looking around as she walked along the mountain path with Cloud.

"True indeed, Aeris…but still, none of it compares at all to the girl beside me," said Cloud, grinning, and Aeris blushed and smiled in response, holding his hand more tightly.

Yuffie looked around nervously at the cliff that dropped off only a few feet to her right, as she scrambled over a pile of loose gravel ahead of her.

"Ah geez, a two hundred foot drop to the river below. And Barret's acting like a zombie, hey Cloud, what's up with that anyway? Why's Mr. Yo-I'm-out-to-save-the-Planet-so-shut-up-fool so quiet all of a sudden?" asked Yuffie. Cloud shrugged.

"Beats me. But you're not going to get me to ask him when he's in this kind of a mood," replied Cloud.

Cloud and the others walked further along the path, now knowing that they were on the right path to Sephiroth. The sunset could be seen in the background of the mountains. 

But as they walked further along the path, they discovered a Mako Reactor – the Corel Reactor. Cloud, Aeris, Tifa, Red XIII and Yuffie stared at the Reactor, not knowing that Shinra had built a Reactor here.

"I wasn't expecting this," said Red XIII.

"A Mako Reactor! I didn't know that this was here," said Cloud, amazed.

"It sure doesn't look like it's been very well maintained," said Aeris, exhausted, and trying to catch her breath from climbing the mountain path.

They all glanced at Barret, but to their startled astonishment, they saw that Barret was staring darkly at the Reactor with a deep, bitter and burning hatred, a fire in his eyes that Cloud had never seen there before, not even from Barret. 

His one huge fist was clenched as tightly as it would go, and he was shaking and shivering in complete rage, boiling with overwhelming anger. 

Then he suddenly stormed off in a rage, and Cloud and the others quickly ran after him, wondering what was wrong with him. They ran down the stairs leading to the Reactor, and caught up with Barret. 

Aeris was about to ask him something, but, noticing this, Barret turned around and glared at her so hard that she stopped short nervously, her eyes wide, causing Yuffie to crash into her from behind.

"OW!! I don't know what his problem is, but he's giving me the creeps. Hey, is that a roller coaster track up there or what?" asked Yuffie, looking along the path ahead.

"I doubt it, considering it goes straight from the Reactor," replied Tifa, acidly, still glaring at Aeris and Cloud's hand-holding, which neither of them noticed.

            "Well then, maybe the cars are just shot out by Mako energy. Wouldn't that be a rush?" said Yuffie, grinning.

            "It looks like the train track splits in two, a higher road and a lower road," said Aeris.

They all walked up some stairs leading past the Reactor and back along the path. Quickly passing by the Reactor, Cloud and the others continued on, following the train tracks leading out of the huge entrance to the Mako Reactor. 

The tracks pushed through a small valley, and led out to a broad, open and large canyon spanned by the tracks as they wove up and down.

Even in the far distance, Cloud could see the tip of the sun as it bobbed down beneath the far peaks of the huge and vast Corel Mountains, which weren't quite as big as the Mount Nibel mountains at Nibelheim, but were still large all the same.

The air was starting to cool, and night was swiftly approaching from the east. Already, more stars were popping up as bright pinpoints against the dark blue of night.

They walked further along the path and they came to an old, massive, abandoned roller coaster, which they would have to use as a path. 

They jumped across the cracks in the roller coaster, and they crossed the roller coaster safely and they came to an automatic bridge, but the ends of it were facing up, so they couldn't cross it.

"Oh, Cloud, that's it! We can't go on until the bridge is let down. I think there's a switch in that shack over there. But I'm too tired," said Tifa.

"Come on, Cloud. Let's rest a minute," said Aeris.

"I'll just stay down here and wait," said Yuffie.

"Okay then," replied Cloud, nodding.

Cloud, Barret and Red XIII walked back to the roller coaster and took the other direction along it to the shack.

"Go, Cloud! Go!" cheered Tifa, excitedly, watching them, and now it was Aeris' turn to scowl.

Cloud pulled the switch in the shack and the bridge came down. Yuffie, Tifa and Aeris walked across and they went along the path. 

Cloud, Red XIII and Barret all walked back along the road, then they went back to the roller coaster, and they took the route to the bridge.

They walked across the bridge and they continued along the path, until they came to a big, old bridge, which was a huge drop above a massive canyon below, so they would have to cross the bridge carefully.

Cloud, Barret and Red XIII quickly crossed the bridge, caught up Yuffie, Aeris and Tifa who were all waiting for them, and afterwards they all arrived at the town of North Corel.


	52. North Corel: The Tragic Past Of Barret

Chapter 51 - The Tragic Past Of Barret 

Hanging loosely from the top of a ruined gate was a worn sign with the words "North Corel" painted on them. The tattered sign had, no doubt, seen better days, as had the small town behind it.

The village of North Corel was in ruins. Nearly all of the houses were made up of only tents and blankets, and the few wooden shacks that were in town were falling down around the owner's heads. 

Slight pillars of smoke rose from the few fires that were burning inside the tents, warming the otherwise freezing town as night swiftly approached. 

Only a few people were outside, and most of them cast disgusted glances at Cloud…no, past him, it seemed. Looking back, Cloud saw a few men living in the town run up to Barret.

"Hey! He's back!" shouted one man.

"Wait here," said Barret, sharply, turning to face Cloud and the others, and then he walked off. 

Barret walked over to three men who lived in the town. One of them suddenly punched Barret hard straight in the face. Barret accepted it without flinching, and he didn't even react or retaliate to it, he just stared down at the ground, and he looked completely ashamed of himself. The same man who punched him in the face then spoke.

"Well, look here. I never thought I'd ever see your face again. Those people over there, are they with you? Well, I feel sorry for them. Hanging around with a walking death sentence like Barret," said the man. 

The other two men beside him seemed even more enraged then he was, as they stared hatefully at Barret.

"They kick you out of another town or something!? You destroy everything you touch!! You've got a lot of balls, coming back here!! Look at this place!! It's all your fault that North Corel turned into a garbage heap!!" exploded another man, angrily.

"Why don't you say something!? Or did you forget what you've done here already!?" snapped a third man.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry…" said Barret, miserably, looking unusually sad and totally ashamed of himself, and Cloud and the others were so shocked by it.

"You ain't even worth the effort, you rotten bastard!!" bellowed the man, angrily.

"Don't waste your time talking to that techno-freak!" shouted another man. 

The other two nodded and they went back in their tacky tents. Barret walked back over to Cloud and the others, who were all shocked at what just happened. 

They had been expecting to see Barret angry and furious, having known his short, fiery temper for a while now. But instead, to their surprise, he just looked completely ashamed, depressed and miserable.

"What was all that about? Barret, what's going on?" asked Cloud, confused and bewildered.

"You all heard them…it's all my fault that this town was destroyed…" said Barret, bitterly, and then he walked off, his head bowed and his muscular shoulders slumped in misery.

Cloud and the others didn't know what to say so they walked along North Corel after Barret and they came to Ropeway Station, where Barret was standing alone, a look of utter sorrow and misery still on his face. Cloud and the others walked over to Barret, and they all faced him.

"Barret, what happened?" asked Aeris, gently.

"I'm sorry…" said Barret, depressed.

"What happened?" repeated Cloud.

"My hometown used to be around here," said Barret, with a sad, depressed sigh.

"What do you mean, it used to…?" asked Red XIII, bewildered.

"It ain't here no more. I heard it got buried four years ago…" replied Barret.

"But how could those people say such terrible, awful things? Why?" asked Aeris, in disbelief.

"Because it was my fault. It's ALL my fault. My hometown, North Corel, was a mining town. But then everything changed one day. That was the first time that I ever heard that word, Mako Reactor," said Barret, his mind flashing back to that scene as he remembered it and explained it to the others.

****************************************************************

_The villagers of Corel all gathered around the house of the village headsman, awaiting the exciting news that he had promised, wondering what it was. The village headsman, an elderly old man wearing a green sweater and black trousers, emerged from the town hall, and the murmurs quieted. _

_"I have just received word that Shinra Incorporated is coming to negotiate the building of a Mako Reactor in our own area! This will mean better lives for all of us, and better money too! We've all being given jobs working in the new complex if the deal goes through!" announced the village headsmen. _

_The response from the crowd seemed very enthusiastic indeed. The village headsman waved his arms to quiet everyone down, though this took a while, and he continued._

"Scarlet, the leader of the Weapon Department herself, of Shinra Incorporated, will be arriving here personally to work out the details. A town council meeting will be held here to determine whether or not building the Mako Reactor is the right thing for Corel. The meeting will be held Friday night at the town hall. I expect all council members to be present," said the village headsmen, solemnly. 

With that, the village headman returned inside and the crowd dispersed, all taking excitedly to each other about the news they had just received.

Barret (who didn't have a gun-arm at this time and had his artificial left arm) and his best friend Dyne, two of the most respected council members, stayed around to talk to each other about the Mako Reactor.

_Dyne wore green jeans; a white shirt and he had purple hair. He was about the same age as Barret, although he was a bit shorter, slightly less muscular, and lighter than the big, black skinned man. Barret turned to face him, looking curious._

_"Yo, Dyne, what you think about this new Mako Reactor?" asked Barret, curiously. _

_Dyne sighed wearily and shook his head._

_"__I just don't know about this, Barret...I mean I'm happy about all the new jobs, and the extra money, but still…I don't want to just give up our coal," said Dyne._

_"I know, Dyne, it sure ain't an easy decision for none of us, but just think of the easier life that we'll have because of the reactor. Besides, Myrna can't take no more of this damn labour for much longer. We both got to work just to make ends meet anymore, and I really do want the best for her," said Barret._

_"I know how you feel, Barret, but still…" began Dyne, then he paused, and shook his head wearily, and walked off in the direction of his house, his shoulders slumped, while Barret looked after him in concern._

_"This sure ain't gonna be easy, that's for damn sure," muttered Barret, shaking his head, before returning to his own home, eager as he always was to see his wife, Myrna._

_At his home, Barret later discussed the Mako Reactor issue with Myrna, curious about her opinion on the subject. _

_Myrna was the same age as Barret, but was much slimmer than her husband, and was also black skinned and black haired, her eyes a similar brown to his as well._

_"Myrna, what do you think about the Mako Reactor?" asked Barret, curiously. _

_Myrna smiled and walked over to Barret, sitting on his muscular lap, and wrapping her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his own arms around her waist in return._

"I'm rather excited about it, actually. All the work in the coal mines has started to get to me, and with the higher wages being offered, I won't have to work anymore, which will be a huge relief. Is there something wrong, dear?" asked Myrna, concerned, as she noticed Barret look suddenly worried.

_"I dunno...I was talking to Dyne, and he said he didn't wanna vote for the new Mako Reactor. He just doesn't wanna give up our coal…" said Barret, anxiously, concerned._

_Myrna sighed in understanding, and stroked her husband's cheek in comfort._

_"Oh, I understand…Dyne's always been very proud of our coal, even more so than the village headsman. It'll probably be tough for him to let it go," said Myrna._

"Yeah, but the vote's gotta be unanimous for the Mako Reactor to be built. I'm just worried that Dyne ain't gonna vote for it with the rest of us," said Barret.

"Oh, I'm sure that he'll come around eventually, dear...it'll be better for all of us. I'm sure he understands that," said Myrna, reassuringly.

"I hope you're right, Myrna, I really do…" said Barret, quietly, still rather worried. Myrna smiled softly and kissed him lovingly on the cheek.

"Come on, Barret, dear, it's time for us to go to bed about now," said Myrna, softly.

"But it's only…oh…" said Barret, grinning, catching on, as Myrna smiled at him, and the two of them drew each other closer to one another and they kissed passionately.

            On the following day, the town hall of Corel was highly crowded and buzzing with activity, as all the townspeople were there, and were all clearly anxious to hear the results of the council's votes on the Mako Reactor.

_            Upstairs, in the meeting room, Barret, Dyne, the village headman, and the rest of the council were just getting ready to cast their votes._

_As everyone wrote down their votes, Dyne seemed to be avoiding making eye contact with Barret, who was sitting across from him. After everyone had turned in their ballots, the headsman began to read off the votes._

_"Okay now, you all know that the vote has to be unanimous, according to our tradition. I'll begin reading the votes now. And the votes are…yes...yes...yes...yes...yes...yes...yes...yes...yes... and...no…" read the village headsman._

The smiles everyone had been wearing previous to the last vote vanished, and eyes turned to Dyne. He bowed his head, avoiding the vindictive glares of his fellow townspeople. 

"I'm sorry, everyone...but our coal just means too much to me to just give it up," said Dyne, heavily.

The headsman and the rest of the council returned downstairs to let everyone know about the bad news. Dyne was bringing up the rear, still hanging his head. The crowd seemed very anxious and excited to hear the outcome, as the headsmen stood in front of them, looking grim.

"Well, everyone, we took a vote...and I'm afraid that we won't be adopting the Mako Reactor plan. Scarlet will be arriving here tomorrow morning to hear the news," said the Village headsmen.

The crowd expressed their depression quite loudly at this, and everyone shuffled slowly out of the town hall, with large frowns on their faces. Dyne sighed heavily once again.

The next morning soon arrived, and everyone was up bright and early to meet Scarlet at the edge of town. A large train with the Shinra logo on the engine pulled into the railway station, and a woman with blond hair and clad in a bright red dress, two men in suits, and four Shinra soldiers stepped out of the train. The village headsmen walked up to Scarlet, and they shook hands.

"Hello, I am the headsman of this village. Welcome to Corel," said the village headsmen, politely. Scarlet nodded.

"So anyway, let's get down to business. What have you and your townspeople decided about the Mako Reactor?" asked Scarlet, curiously.

"Follow me over to the town hall, and we can discuss about the Reactor there," the headman said, leading Scarlet and her entourage into the town.

When the town council arrived at the town hall with Scarlet and the two managers, the four Shinra troops fanned out to guard the entrances while business was being conducted. 

The headman, Barret, Dyne and the rest of the Corel council stood on one side of the room, while Scarlet and the Shinra managers stood on the other side. The village headsmen began to discuss their decision.

"Scarlet, I regret to say that we have taken a vote on the building of the Mako reactor, and have decided not to build one here in Corel," said the village headsmen, heavily.

Scarlet frowned at first, but then she noticed the headsmen clear discomfort about the whole decision, and decided to quickly act on it.

"It seems that you would rather have the decision made otherwise," said Scarlet, pointedly, and the village headsmen nodded slowly.

"By the rule of the town council, the vote must be unanimous. One among us voted against the Mako Reactor," explained the village headsmen, looking at Dyne who shifted uncomfortably, and Scarlet turned to look at him.

"Perhaps we could convince your friend here of the worth of Mako power," suggested Scarlet. The village headsmen looked rather doubtful as he looked at Dyne.

_"You can try, Miss Scarlet, but I just don't know if he'll ever agree to it. What are we going to do? The only person against this is Dyne," said the village headsman. _

_Dyne stood up and looked at Scarlet, deciding it was time that he explained his point of view on the situation._

_"I'm definitely against it. No matter what. There's nothing to talk about if you're thinking of throwing all our coal away. Our coal's been protected for generations. Our fathers and theirs before them gave their lives for it. We have no right to throw it all away so easily," said Dyne._

_"But listen, Dyne. No one uses coal nowadays. It's the sign of the times," said Barret, gently, putting a comforting hand on his best friend's shoulder. Scarlet nodded in agreement._

_"That's right. Everything is Mako now. Don't worry; it will be alright, Dyne. Shinra Incorporated will guarantee your livelihood once the Mako Reactor is completed," said Scarlet._

"Listen, Dyne. It's a hard enough life around here without having people like you, me, and everyone else risking their lives in the coal mines everyday. I don't want my wife, Myrna, to have to suffer from constant anxiety about me or herself anymore," said Barret, his hand still on Dyne's shoulder in comfort.

_"I know how you feel, Barret! I feel the same way about my wife too, damn it! But even so, I won't just give away all our coal mines!" shouted Dyne._

_"Dyne…please…you've got to understand," said the village headsman, laying a comforting hand on his other shoulder. Dyne hesitated, and then shook his head, still unconvinced._

_"We'll build the Mako Reactor in the nearby mountains, away from the town, and then you can all live easy and well from then on. Don't you have a family, Dyne? Don't you want the best for them?" asked Scarlet._

_Dyne nodded and sighed heavily, his mind wandering to his wife…Eleanor…and to his little daughter…Marlene…_

_"Dyne? What do you have to say about it now?" asked Barret, gently._

_"Yes, Dyne. Have you changed your mind?" asked the village headsman, hopefully._

_Dyne thought about it for a moment longer, and then he sighed heavily, burying his head in his hands, and let out his deepest sigh yet, before finally responding._

_"If everyone here truly thinks that this Mako Reactor is the best thing for Corel and its people, then I won't stop them," said Dyne, heavily._

_Everyone else on the council cheered. Scarlet smirked with triumph, satisfied._

_"Excellent…now then, if you'll follow me please so we can sign all the papers, and make it all official," said Scarlet._

_The flashback ended and Barret continued to explain about his past to the others._

****************************************************************

"And that's how the Corel Mako Reactor was built and completed. We all thought that it would give us an easier life, and it did…until just a few weeks later. It happened when Dyne and I were out of town for a few days. Corel was burned down to ashes by the Shinra troops. The entire town…all the townspeople…all my relatives…everything…" explained Barret, depressed.

"Shinra troops!? W-What for!? Why!?" asked Cloud, in disbelief and horror, and the others were also wide-eyed with shock, speechless. Barret sighed heavily.

"There was an explosion at the Reactor. It was only a Reactor malfunction, that was all. But Shinra didn't think so, and they blamed the accident on the people. They said it was done by a rebel faction," explained Barret.

Aeris and Tifa gasped in horror.

"That's so terrible…" said Tifa, saddened.

"Well, I guess that's true. But more than Shinra, I couldn't forgive myself. I never should have gone along with the building of the Reactor, and I should never have persuaded Dyne to change his mind. If I hadn't been so foolish…so stupid…Corel would still be here…and everyone else would still be alive…" said Barret, with an expression of guilt, misery and sorrow mixed on his face, his head bowed.

"Don't blame yourself, Barret. We were all fooled by the promises that Shinra made back then. It was all their fault, not yours," said Tifa, gently. 

Barret's clenched his one fist angrily, as he suddenly exploded with extreme, murderous rage.

"That's why…THAT'S WHY I GET SO PISSED OFF!!!!" roared Barret, angrily, clenching his one fist tightly in anger and rage, his teeth bared viciously, and a raging fire in his eyes. Then he suddenly slumped again, in absolute misery.

"Not only did Shinra take advantage of me…but I lost my wife, Myrna, too…" said Barret, now completely grief-stricken, miserable and depressed, as he slumped onto the ground, clutched his head in both his arms, and wept uncontrollably.

Cloud and the others were all standing there beside Barret, at a loss for words as Barret sobbing quietly. There was a mournful silence for a moment, when a cheerful voice suddenly rang out behind them.

"Hey, everyone! If you want to go to the Golden Saucer, hurry and get on!" shouted a station worker. 

Tifa and Aeris both glared angrily at him for his cheerfulness, while Barret was still clearly very depressed, and they could all understand why.

            "Let's all get on quickly," said Cloud, glancing at Barret in concern, actually feeling worried about him for once.

            "Dyne was my best friend…we were close ever since we were kids…" said Barret, miserably.

Barret stood up slowly and got onto the ropeway, still as upset as ever, while Cloud quietly followed him into the ropeway, not saying a word, not knowing what to say. Tifa stared after Barret, full of pity and sorrow.

            "I never knew…Barret never said a thing to me...not even to Biggs, Wedge and Jessie either…anyway, we'd better go on the ropeway now. Poor Barret…" said Tifa, sadly.

Red XIII kept silent, his head bowed, while Aeris nodded in agreement, looking depressed as well. Yuffie, however, didn't.

            "I'm not sympathizing with Barret! He shouldn't have trusted Shinra in the first place! He should have known better!" snapped Yuffie, sharply, to everyone else's surprise and she quickly got on the ropeway without another word.

Aeris, Tifa and Red XIII then got on the ropeway with Cloud, Barret and Yuffie. The ropeway was a blue carriage that travelled on ropes. The ropeway then started moving and it travelled towards the Golden Saucer.


	53. Golden Saucer: Cait Sith, Machine Of Luc...

Chapter 52 - Cait Sith – The Machine Of Luck 

Illuminated by countless spotlights and reflecting the fireworks off its polished surface, the Golden Saucer Amusement Park stood as a massive tower of music and games in the middle of a sea of clouds. 

The others were lurched awake as the cable car put on its brakes and let the moving ropes carry it the rest of the way up into the docking area. 

As the car swooped high over the seven huge platforms, Aeris looked down at the shimmering golden bowls in wonder, seeing all the people scurry around in the late evening. 

Even from this far up, she could see the flashing lights of the Wonder Square directly below the strobe lights and flickering red glow of the Battle Square. 

Behind the central pillar and above the docking bay was the Entertainment Square, complete with its two huge Moogle statues that overlooked the stage. Some of the most famous plays today had been performed on that stage, including the smash-hit, "Loveless". 

Aeris looked out the window to see more, but the dark tunnel of the docking bay swallowed the cable car before she could get a good view of anything else.

Cloud, Aeris, Barret, Tifa, Red XIII and Yuffie all got off the ropeway as soon as it stopped and they walked over to the entrance of the Golden Saucer, where a man was standing, handing out tickets.

"Welcome to the Golden Saucer. Are you together? A single pass is 3000 Gil or you can purchase a lifetime pass for 30000 Gil," said the man.

Cloud, Aeris, Barret, Tifa, Red XIII and Yuffie each brought a pass for 3000 Gil.

"Thank you very much. If you leave the Golden Saucer, your tickets will be invalid. Here at the Golden Saucer, there are many places where you must pay with GP. Just think of GP as money that you can only use at the Golden Saucer. GP can only be redeemed at the games in Wonder Square and at the Chocobo Races. Your GP limit is 1000 so please be careful. Please, enjoy yourselves," said the man.

Cloud, Aeris, Barret, Tifa, Red XIII and Yuffie walked in through the entrance. They arrived at a room leading to seven different areas. There were seven slides, each one leading down to its own area. Aeris jumped about with excitement.

"Wow! Come on, let's just have some fun for once! Please, please, please…" pleaded Aeris, turning to face Cloud.

"I don't really think that's a good idea right now," whispered Cloud, glancing at Barret, who was still staring down at the floor, looking thoroughly miserable.

"Yeah…I know this isn't the right time to do this, but…hey, come on Barret, cheer up!" said Aeris, cheerfully and happily.

"I ain't in no damn cheery mode. So just leave me alone…" muttered Barret, glumly, not even bothering to look at them, his head bowed down.

"Really? Oh well, that's too bad then," said Aeris, with a shrug. She then ran back up to Cloud and she hugged him.

"Let's go! Come on, Cloud! Let's go have some fun for once!" said Aeris, holding Cloud tightly around the waist.

"Hey, don't you think that was just a little bit harsh back there, Aeris!?" snapped Tifa, glaring angrily, pointing at Barret who still looked rather depressed.

"Don't worry about it. Just act normal when this happens," said Aeris, still hugging Cloud.

"You think so?" asked Tifa, incredulously, raising an eyebrow, hardly believing the way she was acting right now.

"Of course!" exclaimed Aeris, hugging Cloud. 

Cloud looked thoroughly embarrassed, but he didn't mind hugging her, he was just slightly guilty about doing it in front of Tifa. Aeris then let go of Cloud, and she ran up to Barret.

"We're going to go play," said Aeris. 

Barret snarled viciously and suddenly exploded with rage.

"SO PLAY!! But quit messing around! Don't forget, we're after Sephiroth!" snapped Barret. 

He then stormed off in a wild rage, and jumped straight down the slide leading to the Battle Square.

"I think he's getting really mad," said Aeris, wide-eyed, staring after him, feeling slightly guilty now.

"He'll be fine. He seems to be doing a little better now," said Tifa. Cloud walked towards Tifa, Aeris, Red XIII and Yuffie.

"We'd better be careful. Sephiroth might be around," warned Tifa, seriously.

"I wish we could just forget everything and have fun!" exclaimed Aeris.

"You want to go with me?" asked Red XIII.

"These rich places are so cool! I agree with Aeris, we should get to have a little fun now and then," said Yuffie.

Before Cloud could make a decision, Aeris suddenly grabbed him gently by the arm and pulled him over to her. They both went down the slide that led to the Wonder Square. Tifa stared after them coldly for a moment as they went down the slide together, and clenched her fists slightly, making her knuckles crack loudly, Red XIII and Yuffie both noticed.

"Jealous, huh?" asked Yuffie, smirking at Tifa. 

Tifa jumped and blushed a bit, and the cold stare was wiped off her face instantly.

"How many times do I have to say this to everyone? He is just my friend, that's all. We grew up together in the same town, nothing more," insisted Tifa, though deep down, she didn't really believe what she was saying.

Yuffie wasn't one bit convinced at all, and the smirk on her face widened.

"Oh, sure. Yeah, right, I believe you. Well, if yellow Chocobos fly. So anyway, what are we going to do now?" asked Yuffie, curiously.

"I don't know. This place isn't really my kind of thing," said Red XIII, doubtfully.

"Well, it's my kind of place, that's for sure! The Wonder Square sounds kind of cool. Or maybe the Chocobo Square…" said Yuffie, glancing around thoughtfully, enthusiastic.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, in the Wonder Square of the Golden Saucer, a very, very strange fortune telling machine stood waiting for something. It was a black and white furry robotic cat wearing a golden crown and it was sitting on top of a big fat stuffed furry robotic Moogle. 

This robotic cat was now using the robotic Moogle body to walk along with (the cat always sat on top of the Moogle), as though it was the cat's own body (and used it as a fortune telling machine). As a robot, the cat was intelligent and it could talk. 

Its name was Cait Sith, and he worked for the Golden Saucer, and it was being controlled by another person elsewhere, who saw through Cait Sith's eyes by viewing a large screen that showed what it was seeing by the tiny screens in its eyes.

Humming tunelessly, being controlled by this mysterious person who was currently far away, Cait Sith tossed his small golden crown into the air, sending it spinning before catching it again flawlessly. 

His short red cape fluttered behind him as the huge, lumbering Mog he was sitting on shuffled across the Wonder Square plaza, grinning stupidly and bowing to passer-bys.

Several of the people smiled at Cait Sith and scratched behind its ears, finding to their surprise that it purred and even began to strike up a conversation with them.

"How's the air up there? What's going on outside? There ain't no windows around here, you know," said Cait Sith.

Mostly, though, he'd shout advertisements of the Golden Saucer and would try to con people out of a hundred Gil or even two hundred. 

After all, there was always a sucker born every minute, and Cait Sith always saw himself as a shepherd of those sorts of lambs. Cait Sith suddenly shouted to the crowd of people.

"Come on, come all! Gather around here, folks, and witness in amazement as I, the amazing Cait Sith, demonstrate the unbelievable psychic powers of this very Mog that you see before you!" announced Cait Sith.

As the crowd turned their heads towards him and the Mog he was standing on, Cait Sith grinned and motioned for them to come closer.

"Now, behold! The Mog will now perform its famous Future Predictions Dance!" announced Cait Sith.

As the crowd watched, the Mog shuffled its huge feet and waved its arms in the air. A low, throaty growl rose in its mouth and slid out between its teeth.

The Mog danced faster and faster, his arms and legs a white blur against the dark blue floor. Just as suddenly as it had started, though, the Mog stopped and reached inside its mouth. It removed a slip of paper off its tongue and handed it to the Cait Sith, who put his crown back on and peered at the paper.

"Is there a Gordon here?" asked Cait Sith, looking around ominously. 

From the back, a hand slowly rose into the air. Cait Sith pointed at the hand and gasped.

"You've been cheating on your wife! You bastard!" yelled Cait Sith.

"I, uh…don't have a wife," said the man attached to the hand said flatly. 

Cait Sith winced as the crowd quickly began to disperse.

"Wait! Did I say Gordon? I meant Gary! Gary's going to be in a car wreck soon! Watch out for the numbers 72, 204, and 9!" shouted Cait Sith.

But it was no use. The crowd had broken up, and Cait Sith was alone in the square again. The large robotic Mog whimpered helplessly and rolled its large, dark eyes up to Cait Sith. Sighing, the black and white robotic cat patted the Mog on the head.

"Don't worry. They'll show up soon again. They always do," said Cait Sith.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Cloud and Aeris were walking elsewhere in the Golden Saucer together, hand in hand. There were eight sections – the Event Square, the Speed Square, the Round Square, the Ghost Square, the Battle Square, the Wonder Square and the Chocobo Square.

Cloud and Aeris went down the slide that led to the Wonder Square. When they came to the Wonder Square, they didn't see Barret anywhere. The couple turned to face each other.

"He's not here, either. Maybe Tifa was right…perhaps I was too harsh on him. It's just…I really got up in the idea to have some fun for once, and that's something I've never really got to do, you know?" said Aeris, softly, looking at Cloud, who wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll turn up some time. And him getting angry wasn't your fault, he's just got a lot on his mind right now, and I don't blame him either. Besides…who says you're not going to enjoy yourself, even if we are searching for Sephiroth. I'm here, aren't I?" asked Cloud, reassuringly. 

Aeris beamed at Cloud, her beautiful green eyes sparkling.

"Thank you so much, Cloud…I don't know what I would do without you here with me," said Aeris, softly, staring deeply into Cloud's eyes, as they held each other tightly.

"The feeling's mutual," whispered Cloud, quietly, as he drew his lips to hers, and they kissed each other passionately once again, still locked in each other's arms.

For a moment, they both forgot about their search or about the other people that were there, as Cloud and Aeris kissed again and again, filled with deep affection and love for one another, until finally they drew apart, and decided it would be best to carry on with the search for Sephiroth, but they still smiled and gazed at each other and smiled, until they noticed they were being watched and turned to see Cait Sith standing in the middle of the Wonder Square.

Suddenly noticing they were now looking back at him suspiciously, Cait Sith jumped slightly and moved towards Cloud and Aeris, grinning at them.

"Hey, you two lovebirds! What are you both looking so down for all of a sudden?" asked Cait Sith. Cait Sith suddenly walked over to them, and stood in front of them both.

"How about it? Want me to read your fortune? A bright future! A happy future! But don't hold it against me if it's not a great prediction. Oh, I'm so sorry! This big Moogle that I'm standing on is a fortune telling machine. My name's Cait Sith!" said Cait Sith, introducing himself, with a bow. 

Cait Sith was an intelligent, talking robotic cat on a robotic stuffed Mog, whose great hobby was fortune telling. Cloud and Aeris noticed an imprinted label on the big Moogle.

CAIT SITH

Cat and Mog,

Fortune Telling Machine

Fortunes Told, Lucky Charms Sold,

And no saying ever gets too old

Golden Saucer

"You can only read the future?" asked Cloud, curiously.

"Are you kidding!? I can find missing things, missing people, anything!" exclaimed Cait Sith.

"Then can you tell me where a man named Sephiroth is?" asked Cloud, curiously.

"Sephiroth, right? Okay, here goes!" shouted Cait Sith. 

He took a sheet of paper from the stuffed Moogle he was standing on, but it was difficult for him, as he was just a cat. Cait Sith handed the fortune to Cloud, who read it out aloud.

"Ordinary luck. It will be an active fortune. Give into the good will of others and something big will happen after summer…wait, what's this?" asked Cloud, confused.

"Huh? Let me try it again," said Cait Sith. 

He took another fortune out of the stuffed Moogle he was standing on and he quickly handed the fortune to Cloud, who read it out aloud.

"Be careful of future forgetfulness. Your lucky colour is…blue? Forget it," said Cloud, getting frustrated.

"Wait! Give me another chance! Wait! Let me try it again!" protested Cait Sith, desperately. 

He took another sheet of paper and he handed it to Cloud. Cloud took the fortune with a snort, expecting it to be another hoax, but his eyes suddenly widened in shock and disbelief as he read the fortune.

"What the…!?" shouted Cloud, suddenly. 

He looked at the fortune, horrified by what it was saying. He seemed both very curious and very disturbed by it.

"What is it?" asked Aeris, curious and surprised. 

Cloud slowly and clearly read the fortune out aloud.

"WHAT YOU PURSUE SHALL BE YOURS. BUT YOU WILL LOSE SOMETHING DEAR," said Cloud, reading the fortune, and for a moment he just stared at it, mesmerized.

Immediately, Cloud had a strange, ominous feeling about the fortune that he couldn't explain, he simply just felt it…as if it really WAS going to come to pass…

Cait Sith looked as equally startled and unnerved as Cloud and Aeris were about the mysterious fortune.

"I don't know if that's good OR bad. This is the first ever time that I've got something like this," said Cait Sith, amazed. He then turned to face Cloud, an odd look in his small robotic eyes.

"Then, shall we?" asked Cait Sith, looking at them both curiously, very curiously.

"What are you talking about?" asked Aeris, bewildered.

"As a fortune teller, I can't help but think about this. If I don't see what it leads to, then I won't be able to relax. That's why I'm going with you!" said Cait Sith.

"What are we going to do now, Cloud?" asked Aeris, glancing at Cloud.

"Don't even think about it! I'm coming with you, no matter what you say!" shouted Cait Sith.

"Hey!" protested Cloud, but Cait Sith kept walking along with them and following them, and he wouldn't listen to Cloud's protests at all and he kept following Cloud and Aeris everywhere no matter how much they tired to lose him. Cait Sith was surprisingly agile, so much more so than it looked.

Giving up the idea of running away, which was proving pointless, Cloud and Aeris stopped and turned to face Cait Sith, which quickly stopped right behind them. 

Cloud jabbed an angry finger into the Mog's soft stomach, and was about to say something when the cheery music that filled the air suddenly crackled and went dead. 

The distant, hollow, but unmistakable sound of several gunshots flew from the high-powered vacuum slides, followed by terrible screams and the sounds of mad panic. 

People came in a flood from the slides, clawing and screaming in overwhelming fear in a maddened attempt to flee from the crazed gunman.

Cait Sith, Cloud and Aeris quickly left the Wonder Square and they ran to the Battle Square where the screams and gunshots were coming from…and it was also where Barret had went off to in the first place, Cloud realised with shock.

But (much to Cloud's surprise) when they got to the Battle Square, a Shinra soldier was blocking the entrance. Suddenly, the sound of yet more gunshots ran out through the air and the Shinra soldier suddenly fell to the ground. 

He didn't move, while the horrifying screams and sounds of gunfire suddenly ceased and abruptly went dead. Filled with cold dread, Cait Sith, Cloud and Aeris quickly ran over to the Shinra soldier. Cloud quickly checked his pulse.

"He's…he's dead," said Cloud, speechless.

"What!? Why!?" shouted Aeris, shocked. 

Cloud didn't answer, his mind racing, and he ran straight to the Battle Square, wanting to see what this was all about, though the terrible screaming still echoed in his thoughts, and it thoroughly unnerved him.

"Cloud!? Where are you going!?" asked Aeris, frantically, filled with anxiety for him. She and Cait Sith quickly followed Cloud to the Battle Square, running after him.

Inside the Battle Square, the bodies of several dead people, consisting mostly of fighters and soldiers were lying piled about on the floor, most hanging limply from the walls and over guardrails.

It looked as if when the murderer came through here, he caught all of them by surprise. There was blood all over the place, it drenched the whole floor and walls.

Cloud did his best to move forward towards the double iron doors where Cait Sith stood without looking at all the lifeless eyes and ashen faces with expressions of terror that seemed to follow his every footstep. 

Aeris gasped in horror at the sight as she came in the room from behind him, and then she turned away, her head bowed in sadness and sorrow.


	54. Golden Saucer: Barret's Deadly Crime Of ...

Chapter 53 - Barret's Deadly Crime Of Murders 

"Did Sephiroth do all this?" asked Cloud, looking around.

Having heard all those gunshots, he seriously doubted it was Sephiroth, but nevertheless he looked closely at one of the dead soldiers to make sure. He looked back at Cait Sith and Aeris, who both still looked shocked and horrified.

"Just as I thought, it's not him. Obviously, they've all been shot. I knew Sephiroth well, and I know that he would never EVER use a gun or any other weapon apart from his Masumane sword. After all, his sword's the most powerful hand-held weapon in the whole Planet. He would never want to settle for anything less than that," said Cloud.

Suddenly, a Golden Saucer worker awoke on the floor. She was injured badly with a shotgun wound and she seemed very badly shaken.

"Hey, what happened!?" asked Cloud, urgently.

"A-A man…with a g-gun on his arm…a-a gun-arm…" said the female worker, and she passed out. 

Aeris and Cloud stared at each other in shock. They only knew one man with a gun-arm, and that no one in existence had a gun-arm as far as anyone had heard, except for Barret. And Barret HAD stormed off down to the Battle Square earlier.

"It can't be!!" shouted Aeris, in disbelief. 

Suddenly some guards appeared and they walked over to them, aiming their guns at them.

"Hold it right there, all of you! And stay quiet!" ordered one of the guards. 

There were three men standing at the entrance. Two of them were guards, while the other man, standing in between them, was a very wealthy and important man named Dio.

Dio was a black haired and black bearded man who was both muscular and wealthy, and he owned and ran the Golden Saucer, and for some odd reason, he didn't wear much more than just yellow shorts.

"Did you guys do this?" asked Dio, darkly.

"No, it wasn't us," said Cloud, shaking his head.

"I must have been wrong. But I overheard what the injured female worker just there said, and I know now that it was undoubtedly that big, black guy with the gun-arm who came here with you all who did all this. I knew that guy was trouble the moment he stepped into the place. I ain't exactly surprised that a spiky-haired young punk with a massive sword such as yourself would be hanging around with such a troublemaker like that," said Dio, and then he glanced at Aeris, and frowned.

"Yet it both concerns and disturbs me that such a lovely looking young lady would associate herself with such trash like those two," said Dio, and then he glanced at Cait Sith.

"And to think that one of my own employees would be in on this as well! I hate to do this to any paying customers or employees, but this monstrous act crosses the line! You are all banned from the Gold Saucer forever, you hear!?" shouted Dio, snapping his fingers loudly, and Cait Sith realised that this was some sort of signal he used.

"Hurry and run! It's going to get really ugly right about now," warned Cait Sith, urgently, seeing that they were all in big trouble now.

Cait Sith, Aeris and Cloud ran to the Battle Arena, but they came to a dead end, so they were trapped. Dio and the two guards walked into the Battle Arena, behind them.

"That's as far as you go. There's nowhere left to run  to now, boy," snarled Dio, angrily.

"Wait, listen to…" began Cloud, but he was interrupted.

"Cloud…" said Cait Sith, nervously, with a frightened whimper, suddenly backing away.

Snapping his fingers again, Dio stepped back out of the doorway, and allowed the three large bi-pedal robots to suddenly drop down from the ceiling of the Battle Arena and surround Cloud and the others. 

The robot's huge, clawed hands reached out and snapped at Cloud, forcing him back-to-back with Aeris and Cait Sith. A low growl rose in Cloud's throat as he reached for his sword for his Lightning Materia, but he soon realised with horror that for some reason it wasn't there at all, and before Cloud could do anything else, the robots grabbed him, Aeris and Cait Sith in a pincer-like grip before any of them could do anything about it.

"(I am going to KILL Yuffie!!)" thought Cloud, furiously, seeing as how that had distracted him so the robots could get him and the others as well.

Aeris screamed loudly without stopping as the floor opened up before her and the robot leaped down to the clouds far below with her in its powerful grip.

Cait Sith had gone just a moment before, screaming fearfully, after trying to tell Dio their situation, but Dio, as stubborn as ever, would not hear even a word of it. 

The bottom half of Cloud's sword was still held tightly in his sweaty hands, even though the robot had a powerful grip around his arms. He couldn't do anything to attack in this position.

"Hey, pay attention! Damn it, we didn't do it! If you'd just listen to us…!" yelled Cloud.

"There's no need to listen so just save your lies for the sand, boy! The dunes might care a bit more than I do. Pay for your crime down below!" shouted Dio.

As Cloud was screaming a flurry of curses and swear words at Dio, Cloud's robot flung itself through the hole in the floor and split through the clouds underneath the Gold Saucer and began to fall rapidly.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Tifa, Yuffie and Red XIII had been walking along the Golden Saucer when they heard all the gunshots and screaming, and as fast as they could, they came to the Battle Square, and looked around at the place with shock and horror, seeing many dead people and Shinra soldiers lying on the ground in their own blood.

"What the!? I thought this place was supposed to be fun!" shouted Yuffie, horrified, and looking sick.

"Who could have done such a terrible thing in a place like this?" said Red XIII, wearily shaking his head in disbelief.

Just then, they saw a badly injured and wounded woman worker telling some other workers at the Golden Saucer about what happened.

"I'm telling you!! The man had a gun grafted into the slump of his wrist! He just came in here and started shooting the place up, laughing his head off! He was crazy!! He was completely insane!!" screamed the woman worker, in a sudden fit of fear and terror, and she passed out from it. Yuffie gulped nervously.

"Man with a gun-arm…B-Barret's the only man with a g-gun-arm," said Yuffie, nervously, terrified. 

Red XIII was pondering the very same thing, looking thoughtful and grim, rather then scared.

"He WAS very angry when he ran off. Shinra soldiers DID burn his hometown down and killed his family and friends. Maybe he killed all these Shinra soldiers for revenge, and killed everyone else in the process just because they were in the way," said Red XIII. Tifa shook her head angrily.

"No way! Barret wouldn't do this. He wouldn't kill someone unless it was for the good of the Planet and his friends, and especially for Marlene. Why would he suddenly start shooting people at the Golden Saucer for no clear reason?" said Tifa.

"Because he just went nuts," suggested Yuffie, nervously, shrugging shakily.

"He's not crazy! He was just upset, that's all. I've seen him upset like that before, when Biggs, Wedge and Jessie died, and he didn't go on a killing spree at that time either. It's just not Barret, okay?" said Tifa.

Suddenly, Dio and two of his guards came back, and it was clear that he had overheard what they were all saying.

"So…you three know the guy who did this. That must mean you helped him to it along with those other three guys. Seize them and send them down to the prison with those other guys!" ordered Dio, turning to his guards. Yuffie gulped nervously.

"Man, I sure am glad that I swiped Cloud's Lightning Materia right about now," said Yuffie, shakily.

"YOU DID WHAT!?" shouted Tifa, furiously.

Suddenly three robots jumped into the Battle Square, and captured Yuffie, Red XIII and Tifa before they could react. Then, the robots stood over a hole, while Yuffie, Red XIII and Tifa could not escape from their tight grasp.

"No way! You can't do this to us! We haven't even done anything wrong!" screamed Yuffie, terrified.

Suddenly, each of the three robots went straight down the hole with Tifa, Red XIII and Yuffie, falling down through the clouds below, with Yuffie screaming all the way.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, in the Shinra headquarters on the 66th floor in the meeting room, Rufus, Scarlet, Heidegger and Tseng were just about to start another Shinra meeting. 

Things had barely gotten underway when Scarlet began dominating the proceedings with her demands and ideas.

"I am certain that my Shinra Weapons Department can handle Sephiroth. Sephiroth is only one man, and though he is very powerful indeed, he's not indestructible," said Scarlet.

"I agree!!" roared Heidegger, pounding his fist hard onto the table in response. 

Ignoring them both, Rufus looked at Tseng, knowing that he had far more sense than the other two put together. He was a lot more reliable and competent too.

"Tseng, what have the Turks learnt about Sephiroth?" asked Rufus, curiously. Tseng shrugged.

"None of them have actually seen him in person yet, sir. But the members of AVALANCHE have. Mr President, it seems our main adversary is on the same mission as we are, concerning the Promised Land. Except for the part about kidnapping the Ancient, of course," explained Tseng.

            "I think I have a better mission for the Turks!" exclaimed Scarlet. Rufus frowned suspiciously.

            "Scarlet, if AVALANCHE can be lead to the Promised Land by that Ancient, then we must be ready to intercept them right before they get there. That's what I want the Turks to do," said Rufus, coldly.

"What about that guy with the Mako eyes and the massive sword? He's an interesting player in all of this, somehow linked in a big way to the Sephiroth problem. His interest in the affair is very curious…" said Tseng, thoughtfully.

            "That's Cloud Strife, a former First-Class SOLDIER. The only concern I think he has about the Promised Land is keeping both Sephiroth and Shinra far away from it," said Rufus.

            "Do you want him taken out, sir?" asked Tseng.

            "Leave them alone for a while. We need to see where Sephiroth leads them. But you do have my permission to engage them in battle, should they need to be reminded that we mean business," said Rufus.

            "Yes, sir, Mr President," replied Tseng, nodding.

            "I want to discuss my plans for a super weapon! Why sit back and track Sephiroth for who-knows how long when we can just blow him to bits now!?" protested Scarlet. 

Heidegger laughed scornfully at her.

            "And what do we do in the mean time, while you actually build the weapon? That would take who-knows how long to build anyway. And do you know which direction to fire it in? No. Do you want to know? Yes. Then we would have to just sit back and keep tracking Sephiroth anyway," said Heidegger, sharply.

            To say that Rufus was startled to see Heidegger of all people using common sense was a severe understatement, but he quickly recovered himself before anyone noticed.

            "He's absolutely right. Besides, Sephiroth also seems somehow linked to this whole Cetra thing too, and to Jenova as well. Although, we still may need an ultimate weapon such as what Scarlet is envisioning. Cloud Strife is strong, but he is still far too young, weak and inexperienced to measure up to the likes of Sephiroth. Very well then, Scarlet. You have my permission to develop your proposed weapon. Tseng, I want you to assist her as needed, in anyway possible," said Rufus.

Tseng scowled at this, but said nothing. After all, it was his job not to question or go against any orders from his superiors, no matter how much he might have disliked those orders, it was the duty and pride of the Turks to follow this rule.

            "Can I slap him, Mr President?" asked Scarlet, eagerly.

Rufus stared at her in complete disgust and revulsion, while Tseng looked at her as if she'd finally cracked. It had been a while since Tseng had the misfortune of dealing with the pompous slut queen. She'd jump at the opportunity to slap down an opponent like it was some sort of ego boost for her.

            "Keep your hands to yourself, Scarlet. This concludes our meeting," said Rufus, his voice icy and dangerous.

            Scarlet gulped and quickly ran out of the room, and then Tseng and Heidegger walked out the room too, as Rufus stood up and shook his head wearily.

            "How on earth did my father put up with these damn executives?" muttered Rufus, to himself, brushing a strand of his blond hair out of his seemingly ice-cold blue eyes.

****************************************************************


	55. Desert Prison: Corel Prison And The Man ...

Chapter 54 - Corel Prison And The Man With The Gun-Arm 

Cloud's landing on the hard, packed sand of the huge desert they landed in was enough to badly bruise him. The huge fall from the Golden Saucer above must have knocked hard, and with the robot's claws digging into his arms. The large, silent machine suddenly dropped Cloud onto the ground, backed away, and jumped back into the clouds.

Cloud was still for a moment, ignoring the wind as it kicked small clouds of sand in his face. Lying on his back in the boiling hot sun, Cloud began to realize how impossible all of this was beginning to seem. 

If they had never gone up to the Golden Saucer, none of this would have happened. But what if they hadn't? What might have happened then? Would Barret have gunned down all those people? No, it couldn't have been him…could it?

As Cloud's mind wandered, he began less and less to notice how hot it was in the middle of this junkyard in the desert, or how itchy the sand in his shirt collar was.

Eventually, Cloud drifted off into sleep, and the elements of the weather were nothing next to his exhaustion. Images flashed in his mind, memories long forgotten flashed through the thoughts in his mind and filled him with heart-rending sorrow…

****************************************************************

_"Cloud!? Are you crazy!? What the hell were you thinking, bringing Tifa to a place like this!? She could have been killed!" snapped Tifa's father, filled with overwhelming rage._

_"My mother's name is Jenova. She died giving birth to me," said Sephiroth, to Cloud._

_"Haven't you ever had the feeling that something is calling you? Or that you had to visit some certain place?" asked Hojo, curiously, a dark glint in his eyes._

_"Someday I'll get out of Midgar, and find my Promised Land," said Aeris._

_"WHAT YOU PURSUE SHALL BE YOURS. BUT YOU WILL LOSE SOMETHING DEAR," said Cloud, reading the fortune._

_"In my veins courses the blood of the Ancients. I am one of the rightful heirs to this Planet!" exclaimed Sephiroth, laughing his terrible laugh that sent a nasty shiver down Cloud's spine..._

****************************************************************

Cloud awoke suddenly in horror, and he quickly stood up, but to his surprise, he found himself looking at Aeris, who looked both worried and concerned. Cait Sith stood not too far behind her, looking nervous.

"Are you alright?" asked Aeris, gently. 

Cloud nodded slowly, unable to voice any of the horrors that had just filled his mind.

"Where are we?" asked Cloud, looking around at the vast desert, which seemed to stretch for many countless miles, but he did see a junkyard and a huge building, and some old, tacky, shabby houses nearby.

"A desert prison…Corel prison," replied Cait Sith, shortly, stepping slowly towards them. He seemed very troubled.

"A desert prison?" asked Cloud, bewildered.

"Yeah, a natural prison in the middle of the desert, surrounded by hundreds of miles of quicksand. I heard that once you get in, you never get out. But a long time ago, there was one special exception…" explained Cait Sith, calmly.

But before he could say anymore, Aeris suddenly let out a startled gasp. Wheeling around, Cloud turned and spotted Barret standing just ahead of them, his back to them.

Since he was a man with a gun-arm and the only one around, it seemed more than likely that Barret had killed all those soldiers and innocent people at the Golden Saucer.

"Hey, Barret!" called Aeris, but Barret didn't even glance at them, nor did he move either. Cait Sith, Cloud and Aeris quickly ran over to him.

"Barret, did you really do it?" asked Cloud, cautiously, but Barret spun sharply around to face them, and stepped back from them, a menacing look on his face.

"Stay back! This is something that I've just gotta deal with by myself. So just leave me alone," snarled Barret, and he ran off, along the desert prison.

"That's one of your friends? He sure looks dangerous," said Cait Sith, nervously, and the robotic Mog below him gave a pitiful whimper. Cloud ignored them both.

"Cloud, what should we do now? Barret's not his normal self right now, he might do something crazy unless we stop him…" said Aeris, looking worried. 

Cloud nodded grimly in agreement, and they all walked on, across the Corel Desert Prison.

Cloud, Aeris and Cait Sith walked along the prison. There were more people lying dead on the hard sand and they also had bloody gunshot wounds in them. They came to a tacky prison house and they went in. 

Suddenly, Barret burst straight into the room through another door, looking extremely furious.

"Didn't I tell you all not to come here!?" snapped Barret, clearly enraged as he glared hard at them.

Suddenly, he raised his gun-arm, and he aimed it right at them. Cloud and Aeris both looked shocked and in disbelief. Cait Sith looked completely terrified.

"H-Hey, wait a sec! J-Just hold on for a second! We just want to talk, that's all! You'll understand if you just hear us out!" shouted Cait Sith, frightened. 

Barret then suddenly fired his gun-arm. Several times without stopping.

Cait Sith, Cloud and Aeris covered their faces with their hands, it was the only thing they could do other than scream, but after they lowered their hands, they discovered that they were completely unhurt. 

They turned around, and discovered that a man behind them was now lying dead on the floor with bullet wounds, and Barret hadn't been shooting at them, but at the man who was now dead, who had apparently been hiding behind an old, worn looking couch in the small room.

"I didn't want none of ya to get involved…" said Barret, shaking his head wearily, all trace of anger now gone, but none of them could understand why he had just done that, unless he really was the murderer behind all the Golden Saucer and Desert Prison massacres…

Just then, Red XIII, Yuffie and Tifa all ran into the house, having heard the gunshots from outside, and they stood in the room, facing Barret like the others were doing. There was silence for a moment, and then Aeris spoke up first.

"Hey, that's Cloud's line. It's too dangerous. I can't get you involved, blah, blah, blah…" said Aeris, with clear exasperation, and Cloud gave her a slightly annoyed look in response.

"Yeah, we're already involved in this. We saw you come in this house and we hurried here. So come on, Barret. Just tell us what's going on already," said Tifa, stubbornly.

"You guys…" said Barret, warningly, a low and menacing growl in his tone, but no one backed down.

"I heard that the murders at the Battle Arena in the Golden Saucer were done by a man with a gun-arm. Was that…you?" asked Red XIII, curiously, and everyone waited breathlessly to hear Barret's answer. 

Barret hesitated for a long moment, and then shook his head firmly and finally answered.

"No, there's…there's another man…that got a gun grafted into one of his arms willingly too. It all started four years ago, at the time of Corel's destruction. Before it happened, I was on my way home with Dyne after visiting the Mako Reactor…" said Barret, his mind flashing back to that scene as he explained it to the others.

****************************************************************

_Just outside of North Corel, along the roller coaster-like train track path that led to the town, Barret and Dyne were casually walking back to the town, when the village headsmen suddenly ran up to Dyne and Barret, looking extremely terrified and alarmed._

_"Barret! Dyne! Come quick! The village is being attacked! It's Shinra Soldiers!" shouted the village headsmen, urgently, overwhelming terror on his face and in his tone of voice._

_"WHAT!?" roared Barret, in complete shock and disbelief that was also etched all over Dyne's face as well. _

Both frantic with alarm and anxiety, Barret and Dyne quickly ran to a view where they could clearly see the whole town of Corel. 

The whole town was on fire and a big line of smoke was coming from the flames like a gigantic bonfire. Even from here, Barret and Dyne could feel the intense heat of the massive flames as they consumed the entire town of Corel.

"W-What the hell happened…?" gasped Barret, in disbelief, speechless, stunned and hurt to see his hometown like this.

Barret's shock and disbelief soon gave way to murderous rage. He was then shaking in anger. Then he suddenly thumped a rock in extreme anger, making it crumble to pieces. 

Dyne quickly knelt beside him, his face filled with overwhelming fear and despair, not for himself, but for his home and his family as the flames raged on in the distance.

"Hey, Barret! It's not over yet! Everyone's waiting! Come on, let's go back to the village!" shouted Dyne, frantically.

Barret nodded, filled with grim determination, and he and Dyne started to run back to the village of Corel before it was too late to save their homes and their families too. The village headsmen was still watching them on the bridge, looking very afraid and frantic indeed.

_"Barret! Dyne! Quick, save the village before it's too late!" shouted the village headsmen, urgently. _

_Suddenly, Scarlet and four Shinra soldiers showed up on the bridge. Scarlet quickly pulled out a shotgun and shot the village headsmen point-blank in the face, killing him instantly in a shower of blood. _

_Then, the four Shinra soldiers suddenly fired their guns at Barret and Dyne. Dyne quickly got out of the way of their shots just in time, but Barret had struggled to dodge their shots, being much slower due to his weight._

"Come on, Barret! We've got to hurry, we've got to get there right NOW!" shouted Dyne, urgently. 

Barret nodded, furious with himself for wasting so much time already, and he quickly ran over to Dyne.

_Barret and Dyne made their way to a cliff, and along it was the quickest and only way now to Corel village, as Scarlet and the Shinra soldiers blocked the other route. _

_Barret and Dyne stood on the cliff, but the four Shinra soldiers were still firing at them, but they had poor aim and were missing badly. Scarlet was now laughing cruelly and scornfully at them, shaking her head. Dyne turned to face Barret._

"Barret! You stay here!" ordered Dyne, still frantic with anxiety and desperation.

_"Shut up!" snapped Barret, refusing to be left behind and not help him. Scarlet walked right over to the Shinra soldiers._

_"You can shoot at them all day and never hit them with such pathetic aim like that," said Scarlet, icily._

_Scarlet suddenly got her gun out and she shot one of the Shinra soldiers, killing him instantly with another shower of blood. The other three soldiers looked at her with overwhelming fear and horror. Scarlet laughed cruelly._

"Stop playing around and cover me!" ordered Scarlet. 

_The three soldiers stepped in front of Scarlet at once, covering her from being attacked and they fired at Barret and Dyne even more than before and this time, their aim was far better, and on target._

_"Watch out!!" screamed Dyne, suddenly as the bullets flew straight towards them._

_Dyne quickly moved right in front of Barret and blocked a bullet from hitting Barret. The bullet hit Dyne in his left arm instead, breaking it and badly wounding it, and the force of the bullets sent him flying off the cliff edge._

_Horrified and alarmed, Barret quickly grabbed Dyne before he could fall. Barret held onto Dyne with his right arm, while Dyne held onto Barret with his right arm, although his other arm was badly wounded, and blood dripped from it down to the large canyon below._

"Dyne! Hang on! Listen to me! You're coming back to the village, you hear!?" yelled Barret.

_"Yeah…I…I ain't…letting go. We're both…going back to the town. Everyone's…waiting there for us. Eleanor…Marlene…they're all waiting for us…" said Dyne._

_Suddenly, the Shinra soldiers fired more than ever and several bullets hit Barret's right arm, badly wounding it and instantly breaking it. His arm felt so horribly painful that Barret screamed in agony and accidentally let go of Dyne. _

_With a startled cry of surprise and fear, Dyne fell many feet, down the cliff, until he vanished from sight and hit the hard, sandy ground with a loud thud at the bottom._

_The flashback ended and Barret explained more about what happened to Cloud and the others in the present day at the Corel Desert Prison._

****************************************************************__

"From then on, I couldn't use my right arm no more. I was depressed for a while. But then I threw away my permanently broken artificial arm, and I got this gun grafted into the slump of my wrist instead. Got a new right arm to get revenge on Shinra, who took everything away from me, Dyne, and all the other townspeople too. Back then, I heard the doctor say that there was just one other man who got the same operation as me. But his was the left arm, and he had a shotgun, while I got a chain machine gun," explained Barret.

"But…if he really did survive the fall, Dyne's injury back then was exactly the same as yours, right? So it must have been him that had the other operation," said Aeris, thoughtfully.

"Yeah, that's right! And Shinra deceived him too. He'll probably join us to fight against Shinra," said Tifa, hopefully, not understanding why Barret looked so grim about it.

Barret sighed wearily and shook his head, looking both doubtful and sorrowful as well.

"I wouldn't bet on it, not after all those murders he might have committed at the Golden Saucer. But no matter what, I've gotta apologise to Dyne before I can rest in peace. And that's why…I've gotta go alone," said Barret, quietly. 

There was a long silence until Cloud snorted loudly, taking everyone aback.

"Do whatever you want. Is that what you want to hear? Well forget it, I can't let you do it. Because, if you die on me, I'm going to have nightmares about it for a very long time. So I'm going too, to watch out for you," said Cloud, firmly.

Everyone, especially Barret, seemed very taken aback indeed, and rather startled by Cloud's words. He was beginning to sound…as if he cared…

"Barret, this isn't the end," said Aeris, quickly, breaking the startled silence.

"Weren't you going to save the Planet?" added Tifa, with a nod at Aeris as she spoke to Barret.

"Shit! Tifa, you ought to know that by now!" shouted Barret, irritably. Tifa was unfazed by his outburst.

"That's alright. You know, I'm not so different from you in that respect," said Tifa.

"That's easier to understand. It's you who has to take care of this, Barret," said Aeris.

"So, there it is, Barret. So, I guess it will be Barret going, along with me, and…" said Cloud, trying to decide…

"Fortune's good! Everything is perfect!" exclaimed Cait Sith, suddenly, looking very relieved indeed, that Barret was not the crazed killer.

Yuffie, Tifa and Red XIII all spun around and faced Cait Sith in surprise, having not noticed him before.

"Um…what's this?" asked Tifa, pointing to Cait Sith.

"Why hello there. What was your name again?" asked Cait Sith, cheerfully.

"Who…what the heck are you?" asked Yuffie, bewildered, as she stared at Cait Sith in astonishment.

"My name's Cait Sith. I'm a fortune telling machine from the Golden Saucer. I'm basically a robotic cat on a big, stuffed Moogle," said Cait Sith.

"Cait Sith, these three are Tifa, Yuffie and Red XIII. They're also friends of ours," said Cloud, pointing them out.

"Charmed, I'm sure," replied Cait Sith, bowing politely.

"If we're gonna go, then why the hell ain't we gone yet!?" shouted Barret, impatiently.

"Hmm…shall I go with you?" asked Red XIII.

"I wonder if Dyne will join us?" said Aeris, thoughtfully.

"Be careful…" said Tifa, anxiously.

Cloud decided to go with Tifa this time, and he, Tifa and Barret all quickly walked out of the house and they walked along the Desert Prison, while Cait Sith, Red XIII, Yuffie and Aeris waited for them.

"So, they got all of you too, huh? I was getting really worried when we had gone everywhere in the Golden Saucer, and didn't run into any of you guys," said Aeris.

"How embarrassing that was. I can't believe they just dropped us down here like that. I'm just a fortune telling machine, not a murderer. Do I even look like a murderer?" asked Cait Sith, incredulously.

"Yeah, like anyone of us do? Well…Cloud; maybe. Tifa; not really. Barret; definitely. I'm just a kid, Aeris is a flower girl, and Red XIII looks like such a nice puppy," said Yuffie, chuckling. 

Red XIII growled low in his throat, but said nothing.

"So, did you all see those Shinra soldiers too? Do any of you guys have any idea about why Shinra would send their soldiers to be at the Golden Saucer?" asked Aeris, curiously.

"They had to be looking for Sephiroth. But I don't know why they would have any reason to think that he would be there," replied Red XIII, puzzled.

"Yeah, it's not like he's going to take a pit stop at an amusement park on his trip to the Promised Land. He's not exactly going to waltz on in and say, 'hi everyone, I want to try that game with the cute little Moogle', and then be on his way, is he?" said Yuffie, sarcastically. Cait Sith chuckled.

"I bet you he wouldn't have to wait in line at the Speed Square. Oh, its Sephiroth, the war hero turned psychopath! That's a pretty big sword you got there, and sharp too. You can cut in front of me, if you like. No, I meant go in front of me in the line, you know," joked Cait Sith. 

Yuffie and Aeris both giggled with laughter.

"Hey, Cait Sith, how is it that you work exactly? I mean, are you running on some kind of programme, or is there someone controlling your actions, or even someone inside that big Moogle you're standing on?" asked Yuffie, curiously.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's the height of bad manners to ask a machine how it works. It's like asking me why you're still alive," said Cait Sith, shaking a robotic furry finger at her.

"Oh…sorry, I guess," replied Yuffie, with a shrug, although she was rather puzzled by his answer.

"I know why they were looking for Sephiroth at the Golden Saucer. Before Dio sent me down to this prison just before Cloud, I overheard him saying that…" began Aeris, but she was interrupted as Yuffie snorted indignantly.

"Damn that Dio! I hate that guy already! He really needs to put some clothes on or something," said Yuffie, shaking her head in disgust. Aeris giggled.

"So you met him too? Anyway, I overheard him saying that a man had come looking for something called the Black Materia. He said that the man had long silver hair and was wearing a black cape," explained Aeris. 

Everyone else stared at her in shock.

"So…he WAS actually here after all…but, I've never heard of the Black Materia before…" said Red XIII, thoughtfully.

"Neither have I. And I'm an worldwide expert on the subject of Materia. And besides, Sephiroth's just an all-powerful wacko, right? So what exactly would this Black Materia do that would be so special to him, and what would he want with it?" asked Yuffie, thoughtfully and curiously.

"I don't know. But I'm sure that the Ancients had all kinds of Materia that no one else has ever discovered. And to me, the Black Materia somehow seems sort of…scary…even sinister. And dangerously powerful too. I can't say why exactly, but that's just how it feels, or at least that's the way I sense it…" said Aeris, anxiously.

"Do you think that the Planet might be trying to tell you something, then?" asked Red XIII, curiously.

"I'm not sure…It's just been so quiet lately. As if it's…hiding from something…" replied Aeris, thoughtfully.

            No one else knew what to say or think about that…


	56. Desert Prison: Dyne And His Broken Trust

Chapter 55 - Dyne And His Broken Trust 

Meanwhile, Cloud, Tifa and Barret were walking along the Corel Desert Prison until they came to a junkyard with pile of wrecked cars. 

They walked to the other end of this pile of cars, and they suddenly found Dyne, standing alone, his back to them, at the end of the junkyard in front of two crudely made graves just at the edge of a cliff.

Dyne looked exactly the same as he did four years ago except that he had a shotgun grafted into the slump of his left arm in place of a hand, and there was now a dark, sinister look of complete madness in his eyes.

Dyne was obviously the one who killed the soldiers and innocent people at the Golden Saucer, and had killed yet more people at the Corel Desert Prison that he was in, for some odd, peculiar reason. 

Barret sharply told Cloud and Tifa to stay back and not to interfere, and then Barret walked up to Dyne slowly, looking at his best friend for the first time in four long years.

"Dyne…is that you…?" asked Barret, cautiously, stepping forwards in slight disbelief. 

Dyne jumped slightly, and he was clearly startled, but not worried, as he quickly spun around to face Barret, a dark sneer spreading across his face.

"Now there's a voice that I haven't heard in years. A voice that I'll never forget…Barret. You were the last person I expected or wanted to see around here," said Dyne, with a snarl. 

Barret seemed taken aback by Dyne's cold, hard attitude towards him, but he stubbornly refused to give up hope of getting through to his childhood friend, and kept himself calm and steady, and spoke up as Dyne glared viciously at him.

"I always hoped that I would be able to see you again someday. I knew you had to be alive somewhere. We both had the same operation, after all. Listen to me, Dyne. I want to…" began Barret, stepping forwards, but Dyne suddenly interrupted him, as he fired his shotgun straight at Barret.

This was only a warning shot so Barret wasn't shot, although the bullet only narrowly missed his face by less than an inch, and Barret immediately froze in his tracks, stunned by what had almost happened, what Dyne had almost done. 

Dyne, however, seemed not to care in the least, not caring that he had almost killed his childhood friend, and Barret knew now that he would have to be more careful and cautious towards Dyne if he wanted to survive this long awaited encounter.

"What's that…? I hear her voice…" said Dyne, quietly. 

Barret stared at Dyne in surprise and confusion, and a feeling of alarm was also beginning to grow inside him at Dyne's insanity seemed to increase as each and every second went slowly by.

"I hear her voice…my dear wife, Eleanor's voice. Begging me, as she always does…not to hate your rotten guts. That's why…I didn't hunt you down…for her. I would still do anything for her…" explained Dyne, coldly. 

Barret sighed wearily, his head bowed sadly.

"I know that I was stupid back then…I know you've got every right to be mad at me. I'm not asking you to forgive me for what I did that day. I'll understand if you can't accept my apology. But…just what are you doing here, in a place like this, Dyne? Why do you want to kill all those people, who ain't even involved in what happened back then? Why?" asked Barret, with a sense of urgency to understand why his best friend had become like this.

At Barret's question, however, Dyne snarled angrily, and he stared at Barret with overwhelming rage as he seemed to explode with sudden, wild anger, as he clenched his fist tightly, his eyes burning with terrifying madness.

"Why!? WHY!? The hell do YOU care for!? Are the people killed going to understand WHY!? Are the people of Corel going to understand just hearing Shinra's pathetic excuses!? I don't CARE what the reason is! All they give us are artillery and stupid excuses! All that's left is a world full of emptiness and despair…but, I suppose you still want to know WHY I killed all those people? Alright then…I'll tell you. It's because I want to destroy EVERYTHING. The people of this prison, then the prison itself, and then, THE…ENTIRE…WORLD! I've got nothing left in this world anymore. Not since that day those years ago…when I lost them all…Corel…Eleanor…Marlene…" said Dyne, miserably, and his rage disappeared as he broke into racking sobs, but he finally spoke up again after he stopped crying, but was still filled with despair and misery.

"When I finally went back to the town a few months after recovering from the fall and having this gun operation…the whole town was destroyed and burnt down…I never did manage to find their bodies. There was just a great big pile of fire, ash, and the sick smell of burning, tattered flesh...that's the homecoming I got. Eleanor…Marlene...and even your own wife, Myrna...they're all dead…all of them…" said Dyne, grief stricken, as he stared back down at the two crude stone graves in front of him, and broke into even more sobs.

There was a grave with the name 'Eleanor' craved on it, and a smaller grave beside it with the name 'Marlene' carved on it, and both graves had holy crosses beside them. 

As he glanced at the graves though, Barret suddenly realised something else, something important that Dyne still didn't know about, and he cursed himself for forgetting to tell him about it.

"Dyne…Marlene's…Marlene's still alive…" muttered Barret, quietly but clearly, hoping that this might bring some long lost sanity into his old friend. 

Dyne's eyes widened as he suddenly spun around and stared intently at Barret with pure amazement, complete shock and disbelief, hardly daring to believe that his own daughter was still alive after all.

"I went back to the town first, before you did, just after you fell, and I escaped the soldiers. I thought she and all the others were gone for sure. And that's when I found her. When I found Marlene, crying, alone, but unhurt. Out of guilt for what happened…to both you and Corel…I decided to raise your daughter myself, to look after her. That's why I wanted to be by her side until the end, to make up for my sins for what happened that day, but then not long afterwards, I cared for her like the daughter I never had, and I still do now, though she'll always be yours, of course. She's safe and sound in Kalm, hiding there right now, even as we speak. So come on, let's go see her together, alright?" said Barret, gently. 

Dyne slowly turned away, and he stared up at the sky in very deep thought, and then he laughed softly.

"So…she's still alive…alright then, Barret…I guess that this means you and I have got to fight one another," said Dyne.

"WHAT!?" yelled Barret, in disbelief, his eyes widening in pure shock. 

Dyne spun back around to face Barret, a look of pure madness now on his face, and in an insane tone in his voice as he spoke.

"Eleanor's all alone by herself right now. I've got to take Marlene to her…" said Dyne.

"Dyne, are you insane!?" roared Barret, sharply.

"Marlene wants to see her mom…doesn't she…?" asked Dyne, with an insane grin. 

He suddenly started firing at Barret, without warning, but he didn't seem to be trying to hit him at the moment, just trying to scare him, but that would change soon.

"Stop it, Dyne! I can't die yet!" shouted Barret. 

Dyne snorted and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah? Well, my life's been over ever since that day…" said Dyne, and he continued firing.

"Stop it, Dyne! I don't want to fight you! This is so damn stupid! Dyne, there ain't no reason for any of this!" shouted Barret, urgently.

"Barret!" shouted Cloud, alarmed, and he and Tifa began to rush to his aid, but Barret shook his head at them and they quickly stopped.

"Cloud, Tifa, you both stay the hell out of this! This is my problem!!" roared Barret, sharply. 

Nodding numbly, Cloud obeyed, and so did Tifa, although they were both reluctant to leave Barret fighting alone against this madman. Barret had no choice but to fight Dyne, and so the duel between them begun.

Dyne raised his gun-arm shotgun and fired some rounds of bullets at Barret, but Barret was able to deflect the bullets with his own gun-arm, holding it up in front of his face (where the bullets were aimed at) just in time to protect him, so Barret wasn't affected.

Acting quickly against this, Dyne quickly charged up his gun-arm for a moment, and then fired three red balls of energy from it, straight at Barret. All three of them hit Barret and exploded, sending him flying hard into scraps of ruined cars in the junkyard.

Barret stumbled and fell to the floor, very badly injured and bleeding badly, many of his bones broken by the attack, and he was very surprised by the pain it caused.

Barret slowly and painfully got up, and then green light burst from the ground beneath his feet as he grasped a Materia equipped on his gun-arm. Some magical energy appeared out of nowhere and fully healed his injuries and wounds.

Dyne was untroubled by this, however, as he reacted very quickly to it. He charged up his gun for a moment, and then fired three red balls of energy from it, straight at Barret.

All three of them hit Barret and exploded, sending him flying hard into scraps of ruined cars in the junkyard. Although badly injured once again, Barret was determined not to give up.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Barret's feet, as he charged up his gun for a moment, and then he fired a grenade from his gun, straight at Dyne.

Dyne tried to avoid the grenade but it still exploded nearby him, so he was caught by the blast, and he was badly wounded by it. His right arm (the non-gun arm) was broken and he seemed to have many marks and bruises across his body. Dyne stumbled a bit, but he was also determined never to give up.

Dyne then raised his gun-arm shotgun and fired some rounds of bullets at Barret, but Barret was able to deflect the bullets with his own gun-arm, holding it up in front of his chest just in time to protect him, so Barret wasn't affected.

Still attacking ruthlessly and relentlessly, Dyne quickly charged up his gun for a moment, and then fired three red balls of energy from it, straight at Barret. All three of them hit Barret and exploded, sending him flying backwards.

Barret stumbled and fell to the floor, badly wounded and bleeding badly, more of his bones broken by the attack than the first time, and was barely able to even keep his eyes open, let alone get back up again.

Barret slowly and very painfully got up, and then green light burst from the ground beneath his feet as some magical energy appeared out of nowhere once again and fully healed his injuries and wounds.

Dyne raised his gun-arm shotgun and fired some rounds of bullets at Barret, but Barret was able to deflect the bullets with his own gun-arm just in time to protect him, so Barret wasn't affected or injured.

Dyne charged up his gun-arm for a moment, and then fired three red balls of energy from his gun-arm, straight at Barret. All three of them hit Barret and exploded, sending him flying hard into scraps of ruined cars in the junkyard. 

Barret slowly managed to get back up, he was starting to get used to this, so he wasn't quite as injured as before, but he was still bleeding and was wounded.

Barret quickly grasped a Materia equipped on his gun-arm, as green light burst from the ground at his feet. Some magical energy appeared out of nowhere, and fully healed his wounds and injuries once again.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Barret's feet, as he charged up his gun for a moment, and then he suddenly fired a grenade from his gun, straight at Dyne.

Dyne quickly tried to avoid the grenade, but it still exploded nearby him, so he was caught by the blast and was badly wounded by it, giving him many bloody wounds and marks across his body.

Suddenly, Dyne stumbled heavily to the ground and he lowered his gun. He was too wounded to carry on fighting, bleeding badly. Barret was shocked at what he just done, and he quickly ran over to Dyne, and handed him a potion.

Dyne accepted it and drank it in one gulp, fully healing his wounds and injuries. Barret tired to help Dyne up, but Dyne quickly got back up and raised his gun-arm and aimed it warningly at Barret.

"Get back! It wasn't just my arm, my hometown, or my family…that I lost back then. I lost something else…something irreplaceable. I don't know where I went wrong…" said Dyne, miserably.

"Dyne, I don't know either, man. Is this the only way that we can resolve this?" asked Barret, gently.

"I told you…I-I want to destroy everything. Everything. This crazy world…and even me…" said Dyne, quietly.

"And what about Marlene!? What's going to happen to her!?" shouted Barret, indignantly. Dyne sighed wearily.

"Think about it for a moment, Barret. How old was Marlene back then? Even if I did go to her now…she wouldn't even know me. And what's more, Barret…my hands are just far too stained with the blood of my own actions to carry Marlene anymore…Barret…please give this pendant to Marlene. It was Eleanor's…my wife's memento…Marlene deserves to know the whole truth someday…tell her, please," said Dyne.

Dyne took off the pendant hanging around his neck, and he handed Eleanor's pendant to Barret, which showed a picture inside it, of a blond-haired young woman with blue eyes and a wide smile. It was Dyne's beloved wife, Eleanor. Barret took it without hesitation, and nodded grimly.

"Alright, I will. I'll tell Marlene the truth some day. I promise, Dyne…" said Barret, seriously, determined to keep his promise to Dyne.

Dyne nodded, and for a split second, the ghost of a smile seemed to pass across his face.

"Wow…Marlene's…already four…" said Dyne, in wonder, turning away. 

Dyne slowly walked over to the cliff edge in the desert prison, above a huge canyon, clearly deep in thought, and staring down the massive drop.

Dyne came to a stop right at the cliff edge, and stared down at the rocky canyon many hundreds of feet below him. Not looking back at Barret, he slowly spoke.

"Barret…don't…don't ever…don't ever make Marlene…cry…" said Dyne, sobbing, his tears splashing down onto the ground far below, as Dyne continued to stare down the cliff.

"Dyne…?" said Barret, confused, staring at Dyne, not understanding what was happening for a moment, but then suddenly with a horrible feeling of fear and alarm he realised what Dyne was about to do.

Barret's eyes widened in surprise and horror as Dyne slowly turned to face him, his mind clearly made up as he spread his arms wide, standing just before the cliff edge.

Barret quickly rushed towards him as fast as he could, but he was just a split second too late as Dyne took a deep breath, closed his eyes and smiled softly, before suddenly throwing himself straight off the cliff face into the huge canyon and the ground that was hundreds and hundreds of feet below.

"NO, DYNE!!!!" screamed Barret, lunging for the edge of the canyon, hoping to grab Dyne just in time. 

But when he got there, he only managed to catch one final glimpse of Dyne's dirty white shirt as he fell, before the darkness of the gigantic chasm quickly swallowed him up.

Moments later, a loud, nasty thud was heard at the bottom of the canyon, as something that sounded like a body hit the ground with tremendous force.

Barret hung his good arm over the top of the canyon, as if he was trying to reach for the bottom far, far below, reach for Dyne, whose body now lying completely broken and bloody at the cold, dark floor of the canyon, lifeless, and yet Dyne was now peaceful at last, finally able to rest in peace.

"DYNE!!!!" screamed Barret, his voice echoing around the whole canyon, sounding both desperate and frantic. 

But moments later, the whole canyon was suddenly filled with a horrible silence that was accompanied by only a cold breeze of wind. 

Realising that Dyne was now dead, Barret slowly stepped away from the cliff edge, and then he fell to his knees and buried his face in his arms, completely distraught.

"Dyne…me and you were both the same. My hands ain't any cleaner...I've killed several innocents too…I shouldn't be able to carry…Marlene…either…" said Barret, miserably.

He then yelled in grief, anger and frustration, which echoed around the whole canyon, and then he dropped his head down onto the soft, loose sand, unable to hold back his tears…

After a long moment of mournful silence, Barret finally got to his feet, and walked back to Cloud and Tifa, who were both looking sorrowfully at him, but he didn't even say anything to them, or even glance at them. 

He just walked on, his head bowed hopelessly. Cloud and Tifa glanced grimly at each other, then they quietly and silently followed Barret back along the way they came, to go to the tacky Desert Prison houses where the others were still waiting for them, and they would certainly be told a lot of news…


	57. Desert Prison: New Manager For The Races

Chapter 56 - New Manager For The Races 

Late that next afternoon, Cait Sith led Barret, Cloud and Tifa south through the main prison yard to the wreckage of an old Shinra truck trailer. 

Along the way, hundreds of people in the prison had heard strange rumours and watched in awe as the man who had killed the feared, unstable boss of the Prison (as far as they knew) walked through the prison, a determined scowl on his face, and a flickering gold pendant in his one remaining clenched hand, and they all knew that the gold pendant had been the boss' most precious and treasured item in his possession.

Thanks to Aeris, the wounds that seemed to cover all of Barret's whole massive body after the fight with Dyne were healing up nicely, and in another few days, there probably wouldn't even be any scars left at all…except the ones in Barret's memories of this incident, of course. 

"(If the Ancients had power like that, how come they had all died out?)" thought Barret, curiously, then he just shook his head and shrugged to himself. 

"(Better just leave the thinking to Cloud,)" thought Barret, and he continued on through the Corel Desert Prison, and they walked into a trailer in the Desert Prison.

The man inside the air-conditioned trailer shifted his weight to one foot in surprise when he saw Barret come in and took a half step backwards in amazement, knowing full well from rumours whom he was. 

Cait Sith waddled in behind him, with Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Yuffie and Red XIII bringing up the rear. The man who lived in the trailer was named Mr Coates, and he was basically the warden of the Desert Prison.

"You want something?" asked Mr Coates, curiously.

"I want to go up," replied Barret, flatly.

"Like I've already told the robot cat before, you've got to go get the Boss's permission, and then win the Chocobo races," explained Mr Coates.

"Dyne has got his reasons, and can no longer speak any more. So I got this from him instead," said Barret, showing Mr Coates the pendant of Eleanor that Dyne had gave him.

"Holy shit!!" shouted Mr Coates, surprised and astonished, and he jumped backwards in shock, knowing now that the rumours were definitely true.

"I want to go up," repeated Barret, flatly, putting the pendant back around his neck, remembering the last promise he gave to Dyne, to give the pendant to Marlene, and to tell her the whole truth.

"Right, so then, did you kill Dyne? You must have, or you'd never be holding that thing. So, Dyne's dead, eh? Maybe now this place will calm down a little. Dyne didn't care who anyone was around here," said Mr Coates. 

Hearing all this, Barret snarled furiously and grabbed Mr Coates by the collar, lifting him right off the ground and glared hard at him, angrily.

"The hell do you know!!?" roared Barret, angrily. Mr Coates was absolutely terrified, and was shaking with fear.

"R-Right! I-I mean…n-no, I-I don't k-know anything! I'm sorry, p-please don't hurt me!" stammered Mr Coates, terrified and afraid. Barret let go of him, and Mr Coates took a few steps back from him in fear.

"Then will you help get all of us out of this place?" asked Cloud, sharply.

"Huh? Oh man, you guys are mistaken. I already told you, there's only one way to get out of here. That's to win the Chocobo race, and that's held up there, in the Golden Saucer. And only one person can go up there at a time," explained Mr Coates.

"Say what!?" snapped Barret, angrily, stepping forwards menacingly, and grabbing Mr Coates tightly by the collar.

"No, really! Even if you threaten me! A rule's a rule, I can't change it! If I do, the whole system down here will be all messed up! And I can't allow that! Okay, I'll let just one of you go up there. After that, he's got to deal with Dio," explained Mr Coates, terrified. Barret nodded and let go of him.

"Alright then. Cloud, you go. We'll all be waiting down here for ya. Hurry up, and win that Chocobo race, and get us out of here!" ordered Barret.

"Yes, good luck, Cloud," said Aeris, smiling, kissing Cloud on the cheek, causing Tifa to frown once again, but Tifa still pretended to ignore it.

"Right, Cloud. We'll be waiting and rooting for you," said Tifa, reassuringly. 

Cloud shrugged and he agreed to do it, deciding it would do no good arguing about it.

"Have you all decided, then? All you need now is a manager, and to register, and get a Chocobo," said Mr Coates.

"All taken care of!" said Cait Sith, cheerfully.

"Hi, I happened to hear your story," said a female voice.

"Ester?" said Mr Coates. 

A woman with brown hair, strangely dressed like a clown in a pink dress, walked up to them. Her name was Ester.

"I'll be your manager," said Ester, brightly, smiling.

"Well, I've got nothing against it. Anyways, this here is Ester. She may look kind of funny. But, there's no better manager in the races," said Mr Coates. Ester snorted indignantly.

"That's so rude. Yeah well, nice to meet you, Cloud," said Ester, smiling politely, while giving a handshake.

"Alright then, Cloud. I'll send you up the elevator. Ester will fill you in on all the details," said Mr Coates.

"Cait Sith told me a lot about your story of what happened in the Golden Saucer, and in the fight with Dyne at the prison, but you can fill me in on the rest when we get to the Golden Saucer," suggested Ester. Cloud nodded in agreement.

A while later, Cloud and Ester both went out of the prison trailer, and they went on the elevator to the Golden Saucer. Cloud was explaining to Ester about what happened with Dyne.

"…So that's what happened. Okay, I'll talk to Dio myself, personally. You just concentrate on the race. There are many different types of Chocobo jockeys here. It's not only for criminals. Some people compete here for the fame, some people compete here for the money, and some people compete here for the glory. And then, there are people like you, who compete here for the freedom. Now then, I'll just briefly teach you how to ride a Chocobo," said Ester.

"Alright then," replied Cloud, shrugging, not even bothering to tell her that he had some experience with Chocobos already, as part of SOLDIER training, and he had also ridden one weeks before when the group were using one to travel to the Mythril Mines near the city of Junon to avoid being confronted by the Midgar Zolom.

"It's pretty hard to make the Chocobo run the way you want it to. If the Chocobo doesn't like you, then it won't listen. You can't really help on this one. But most of the Chocobos that I'll provide you with are mellow, and you should be able to handle them. If you go faster then the Chocobo can handle, then it will lose its stamina really fast. There are some bad tempered Chocobos that can't pace themselves, and they'll lose their stamina pretty fast," explained Ester.

After Ester finished explaining, Cloud was soon lost in his own thoughts as the elevator still made its way slowly up to the Golden Saucer.

"(We could have avoided all of this if we had just skipped the Golden Saucer completely, and just moved onto Cosmo Canyon instead. We've wasted at least a whole week here in the middle of nowhere, and every day more brings Sephiroth closer to the Promised Land. What's he want there, anyway? And what's he going to find there? Nothing, but a bunch of dead Ancients? Is he going to use the Mako energy there? What for? The only thing Shinra would use it for is to power their Reactors, but is that any worse than what Sephiroth is up to? Sephiroth, where are you?)" thought Cloud.

They then got off the elevator and they entered a room with some men sitting at a table, waiting for the Chocobo race. One of them turned to face Cloud.

"Are you new?" asked the man.

"Hi, Joe," said Ester, with a smile and a wave.

"Hey, Ester. You're looking pretty as usual," said Joe, with a polite bow. Ester smiled and blushed.

"Thanks…anyway, let me introduce you, Cloud. This is Joe, one of the top Chocobo jockeys," said Ester.

"Nice to meet you, Cloud. If you're with Ester, then…" said Joe, thoughtfully.

"Right! He's an up and coming jockey. He's only been down at the Desert Prison for less than a whole week, and he's already made it up here!" exclaimed Ester.

"What!? Oh, I see. So, what did you do down there? Sorry, you're not supposed to ask about the past over here. Pretty interesting. I have a feeling that we might just meet again. Then until we meet again, Cloud," said Joe, bowing again, and then he walked out of the room.

"I'm going to check on the Chocobo. You just wait here for a while," said Ester. She walked out of the room. A message suddenly appeared on the intercom radio.

"The race will start in a few moments. Will the jockeys for the next race please proceed to the paddock," said the message.

The men from the table got up and they left the room. Cloud started to go and follow them, and just then, Ester came straight into the room, and she walked up to him.

"Thanks for waiting. I registered you in the next race. This is a Chocobo I prepared myself. He won't lose easily. Do you know how to ride one?" asked Ester.

"Yeah, I do," replied Cloud, shortly, nodding.

"Then, good luck," said Ester, with a smile.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, in the Golden Saucer, Reno and Rude had just entered the Chocobo Square, having been sent to the Golden Saucer to look for AVALANCHE, who had been sited there.

"Our sources were wrong," said Rude. Reno just shrugged.

"Well, we thought they were here. But hey, everybody comes to the Golden Saucer at least once, right? Even those poor, stupid morons from North Corel," said Reno. 

Rude just snorted and jammed his hands into his pockets.

"Hey, lighten up, Rude. Hey, as long as we're here, we might as well enjoy it. Wanna bet on the Chocobo Races? I hear they've got some jockey who just got out of the Desert Prison in just a few days," said Reno.

With the prospect of gambling stuck in his head, Rude quickly agreed and followed Reno up the long stairway to the double doors that led inside the Chocobo Race court. 

Crowds of people were bunched around the several massive screens showing the racing track and the six Chocobos that were warking madly and running their hearts out as the jockeys thumped their ribs and pushed their birds to the limit. 

Reno left Rude to watch the race, and moved on up to the ticket window to place their bets.

"Welcome to the Chocobo Races. Would you like to place a bet? The jockeys for the next race are already up on the stat board behind you," said the female worker behind the desk, cheerfully.

Being a Turk has its definite advantages. Paid vacations, good health care, and all that, but the one thing Reno liked most of all about being a Turk is that being one had its own set of rules, and its own line of luck. 

Sure, there was definitely some skill involved in spying, kidnapping, murder, sabotage, and the like, but Reno always thought most of the work he went through required his own luck as well, and he liked to think of himself as lucky, which especially helped in gambling.

When Reno turned around, and suddenly spotted Cloud riding one of Chocobos for the next race though, Reno could have sworn he could feel his luck press down onto him like a heavy iron weight, as he eyes widened in complete surprise and disbelief, then after a moment of shocked, stunned silence, he smirked to himself.

"Wow, what are the odds? Alright then, put five thousand Gil on the guy in purple with the blond, spiky hair," said Reno.

"But sir, he hasn't won or even started a race yet," said the female worker with a chuckle. Reno's grin widened.

"Then make it TEN thousand," said Reno, smirking.

The woman behind the desk gave him a rather confused stare, but she did as she was told, and handed Reno his tickets. The Turk quickly shoved them into his pocket and went to grab Rude's shoulder to get his attention, to tell him what he had just seen. Rude shook his head though.

"Don't tell me, I know. I already saw the board. So it's true after all that you can always find what you're looking for if you look hard enough," said Rude.

"Hey, I just lose more pens that way. I put most of our money on Cloud. He'd better win this, or we'll all be in trouble. Do you want to rub the ticket on your bald head for good luck?" joked Reno, grinning.

"How about you just shut up and watch the race?" said Rude, irritably, with a snort.

On the huge screens hanging from the ceiling, the two Turks watched as the Chocobo paddock opened up and the virtual track was switched on.

The six Chocobos bobbed out of the stables and lined up on the starting line, warking happily and scratching at the ground, anxious to get going. 

Riding on the left pole position, though, was Cloud on top of a jittery yellow Chocobo, and he certainly didn't look too happy to be there, either.

Still, he shifted in his saddle to get comfortable, and turned forwards, grabbing a hold of the Chocobo's feathers on its shoulders, and hung on tightly.

"Think he'll make it?" asked Reno. 

Rude simply grunted, and folded his arms across his chest, as they watched the race closely.

At the sound of the gun, all six Chocobos warked in surprise and sped forward, leaning their heads down and pumping their long, skinny legs for all they were worth. 

The first corner went around and started up a chequered hill complete with several cameras inside spinning diamonds that hung from the ceiling, trained on the Chocobos as they sped by. 

One of the jockeys was already losing his nerve and hung near the back of the pack, while Cloud was busy fighting off a blue jockey for the third place position. 

The hill came to a stop at a pair of dark blue pillars where, off to the side, a huge clam opened its mouth to reveal a shimmering pearl, equipped with a high-speed camera.

The Chocobos sped through the pillared arena and eventually ran into a huge, sparkling cavern full of bats, what Cloud guessed was supposed to be raw Materia, and, of course, cameras. 

His Chocobo quickly skirted around the next tight corner, and wove effortlessly through the stalagmites that shot up through the ground, warking happily the entire time. 

The first place jockey was almost within arm's reach, and the end of the cavern was in sight. Exiting the cave brought the Chocobos to a raging river, complete with a rickety rope bridge and a thunderous waterfall.

The lead Chocobo warked in uncertainty and backed off, leaving Cloud free to dash across the bridge and enter the home stretch, an empty void with only the shimmering blue track, a field of stars, and off in the distance, the finish line.

Cloud kicked his Chocobo hard in the ribs and sent it streaking forward, its sharp talons giving it extra traction on the slippery course. 

Cloud took a quick look behind him, and saw the other jockeys as they eased across the rope bridge and began to move much quicker, slowly picking up speed and coming up quick on his rear. His own Chocobo was beginning to sweat, and its tongue was hanging out the corner of its beak. 

But the finish line was so close, he couldn't lose! Everything was riding on this race! Sephiroth and the Promised Land. It struck Cloud as rather amusing that the fate of the world might depend on him winning one Chocobo Race.

The Chocobo skidded around another corner and suddenly got its second wind as the finish line appeared before them. It was so close, Cloud could almost smell the fresh air outside as the huge bird drew closer. The other jockeys were closing in on him fast and were showing no sign of slowing down.

Cloud kicked his Chocobo in the ribs again and urged it forward, begging it to run just a bit longer. The blue jockey was now almost neck-and-neck with Cloud, and the bright pink one was close behind him, and soon they both flashed past.

Sweat beaded out onto Cloud's forehead as the finish line drew closer still. He wasn't going to make it; the other Chocobos would get there first.

Then from behind, there was suddenly a loud BANG as though it came from a shotgun, and Cloud heard the blue Chocobo wark in surprise as its feet came out from under it, sending both bird and rider crashing to the ground.

The rest of the Chocobos crashed into the flattened jockey and went into a tangled heap of feathers and curses as Cloud sped on ahead and crossed the green beam of light that made up the finish line.

In the main square, the crowd erupted into cheers and whistles as Cloud flew across the finish line and jumped off his Chocobo to receive his trophy.

Several cameras were pushed into Cloud's face and dozens of people began asking for quotes, but Cloud easily pushed them aside and headed back for the jockey's paddock, not knowing that the Turks were watching him from the stands.

"So it looks like your little investment paid off," said Rude.

"What did I tell you, huh? But sometimes, being a Turk means that you have to re-write the rules if necessary…" said Reno, holding a smoking shotgun in his hand, which he had just fired to make the other Chocobo crash out into the others, which of course helped Cloud to win. Rude just grunted.

****************************************************************

As soon as Cloud stepped out of the Chocobo Square and into the back room, he was greeted by Ester, who had a wide grin on her face.

"Congratulations!! Now you're home free! Oh yeah, Dio, the owner of the Golden Saucer, told me to give this letter to you after you won," said Ester.

Cloud took the letter, looking at it curiously, and he read aloud what Dio had written to him.

"Boy, if you're reading this letter, then you must have won the Chocobo race. And won a victory that I am sure you have fully earned. I heard all about Dyne from Ester. Now that you are victorious, I promise that you and your friends will get a full pardon for the terrible misunderstanding, and you will all be set free. And also, by my way of apology, I prepared a little gift for you to use on your journey. Sorry I couldn't be here to tell you all of this in person, but I'm a very busy man. Sincerely Yours, Dio," said Cloud, reading out the letter. He turned to face Ester.

"A gift?" said Cloud, confused. 

Just then, the PHS mobile phone ran, and Cloud quickly answered it. It was Aeris. She sounded delighted.

"Cloud, isn't this great!? The assistant manager just stopped by, and dropped off a new buggy for you! Now you can go over deserts and rivers without any problems. Okay, Cloud, me and the others be waiting for you outside," said Aeris.

She hung up, and Cloud put the PHS mobile phone back in his pocket. Cloud looked back at the letter, and then he noticed something else on it.

"The letter continues…?" said Cloud, thoughtfully. 

He read out aloud the remaining part of the letter, which he had not read yet.

"P.S. I just recently met Sephiroth. He must have a lot of fans with boys your age, or so I've heard. Why don't you go get his autograph? It seems like he's heading towards the south of the river, towards Gongaga," said Cloud, reading out the last part of the letter, and then he quickly pocketed it as soon as he finished reading it.

"Sephiroth…" said Cloud, thoughtfully, hoping that he and the others might just be on the right track now, after all.

"I guess that this is goodbye for now, then. Yeah, well, if you ever do get your own Race Chocobo, then why not come back here again? I'll take care of your registration and everything. I'll be seeing you again," said Ester, brightly, smiling.

Cloud soon left the Golden Saucer and he went outside it where the others were all waiting. They all quickly got in the buggy, with Cloud driving, and soon they crossed the desert and the river and they travelled in the buggy across fields on their way to Gongaga.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, the Turks stayed overnight in separate rooms each at the ghost hotel in the Golden Saucer. A phone call at sunrise woke them up. Reno answered it from his room, slouched over the side of the mattress like some kind of rag doll.

It was Tseng calling them from Midgar where it was several hours later due to time zones. 

"Sorry to break up your mini vacation, but I promise you all a week off some time after all this," said Tseng.

"What is it?" asked Reno, sitting straight up, suddenly interested because authorized vacation time was at stake.

"Scarlet and I need to check out some Mako Reactors, including the trashed one at Gongaga, near the Golden Saucer. Ordinarily, I wouldn't need to bother you, but our spy has just found out that Cloud helped AVALANCHE escape from the Corel Desert Prison. They're on their way to Gongaga right now," explained Tseng.

"So, you need our help to kill them? This is a good chance for me to get revenge on Cloud for the injuries he and the others caused me in Sector 7," said Reno, thoughtfully, sniggering.

"No, don't kill them. Not just yet. President Rufus doesn't want that right at this moment. AVALANCHE still has some dirty work to do for us, like lure us to the Promise Land or to where Sephiroth is, and what he's up to. However, we should remind them all that we mean business, so you have my full permission to pick a fight with them at any time, just as long as it doesn't get too out of hand. Scarlet and I are flying in by helicopter. Be ready for pick-up in two hours," said Tseng.

"That scrawny old slut bitch whore is coming!? Man, I'd love to punch her right in the face," said Reno.

"What? And risk breaking your hand? Save your strength for fighting Cloud and the others. Oh, and I'll call ahead and reserve you a room in your favourite hospital ward in Midgar after the fight," said Tseng, sarcastically.

"It's my fight, Tseng. I'll decide if and how bad I get injured," said Reno.

"I'll give Rude a Cure Materia in case anything happens to you anyway, like the last time," said Tseng.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, I got it all sorted. See you in a bit," said Reno, and he hung up. 

By then, the other two Turks were getting up and entering his room, dashing his hopes of getting any more sleep.

"Reno, did you sleep all night in your suit?" asked Elena, grimacing in disgust as she noticing how even messier his Turk uniform seemed than usual.

"Yeah…so? What's it to you? Besides, I thought that you despised my floppy pyjamas, so I figured I'd spare you having to see them. And I don't even intend to comb my hair either. How's that?" asked Reno, sarcastically.

Elena glared at him, and just shrugged, deciding not to answer his childish comments. Rude decided not to either, but then again, he barely said anything.


	58. Gongaga: The Turks At Gongaga

Chapter 57 – The Turks At Gongaga 

Barret yawned as he leaned back in his seat and propped his legs up on the dashboard of the buggy. The hot, sticky desert air was split by the cool breeze that came from the speed of the buggy as it flew across the sand, and it felt good in the middle of the afternoon.

There were even some Chocobo tracks here and there, but the big, quick birds themselves were nowhere to be seen, apparently aware of them, and ran so quickly away that they weren't seen.

Cloud, meanwhile, was thinking that if he ever saw another Chocobo again, it would be far too soon for him. Besides, he had plenty of other problems to worry about. 

Sephiroth was headed for Gongaga and that wasn't too far from Cosmo Canyon. What could be there that he might want? To learn more about the Planet? 

If he was an Ancient, it shouldn't be that hard, he'd just have to ask the Planet for advice. And just how did Jenova fit into all of this? Cloud had met it twice now; in the Shinra Headquarters, and at the bottom of the cargo ship.

"How much farther is it now until Gongaga?" asked Aeris, wearily, yawning slightly.

She propped her elbow up against the door and leaned on her hand, trying not to let the soothing hum of the buggy lull her to sleep. 

Across from Aeris and separated from her by a sleepy Cait Sith and a snoring Yuffie, Tifa slumped down in her seat, also weary, and sighed.

"Not too far. The desert's starting to edge away now, and I can just see a river not too far from here. Gongaga's just past that river and the Gongaga village is right in the middle of a jungle," explained Tifa.

"A Mako Reactor explosion occurred in the Gongaga village once. A few years ago, not too soon before Corel. The Gongaga Mako Reactor went up in an industrial accident, and killed almost everybody in the town. It's not even that much of a village anymore. Just a bunch of poor folks living in huts, kind of like North Corel in a way, except they live in dirty small houses rather than tacky tents," explained Barret.

"Still, it sure sounds whole a lot like North Corel to me," said Yuffie, grumpily, with a disappointed sigh.

The dunes flew by the buggy, completely silent, save for the constant droning of the engine. Slowly, the sand mounds levelled out and the bleached bones became more and more scarce as tufts of grass began to spring up out of the sand.

By late afternoon, the Corel Desert came to an abrupt end at the Gongaga River, which flowed from the Corel Mountains far to the north and emptied out into the vast Southern Sea.

Across the river, fields of lush green grass that spread from horizon to horizon, seeming to touch the vast blue sky on both sides, replaced the hot, golden sand. 

Several tall, grassy plateaus that had erupted from the ground and stretched high into the sky only briefly interrupted the serene pasture. 

Raw Mako energy that was pumped from the bottomless depths of the Planet and pushed to the surface in the living rock, now came out in a flood in the middle of nowhere thanks to the life-sucking capabilities of the Gongaga Reactor.

Past the looming rocks and settled in the midst of a dense jungle, the top half of a charred rubble pile could be seen poking through the canopy and stretching into the sky. 

Plumes of sickly-coloured smoke still wafted from the burned-out Mako Reactor's furnace, but the energy channels had been destroyed. Inside that Reactor was little more than a pool of raw Mako energy.

"Do we really have to stop at this place? It feels quite bad here…I mean, with the Planet and all. It's hurt badly here, I can sense it. Like a wound that's never been healed," said Aeris, shivering slightly.

"I'd like to keep going, but we lost most of our things in the prison, remember? We kept our Materia and our weapons, but aside from that, we lost everything else," replied Cloud.

"So just how are we going to pay for stuff then?" asked Barret, incredulously, not opening his eyes or even turning to face Cloud.

Cloud just shrugged and eased the buggy to a stop outside the tree line. Yuffie was the first one out into the jungle, leaving the others trailing behind, while she vanished from sight amongst the trees.

"How do you know so much about Gongaga, Barret? I was in SOLDIER, but I'd never really even heard of it until Dio told me about it," said Cloud. 

Barret snickered, and he kicked over a piece of debris from the Reactor nearby.

"You should always know a good deal about the enemy. Me and the others found out all we could about Shinra. I guess me, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were a lot more alike than we realized," said Barret, solemnly, a sad note in his tone at that last part.

"You can't keep regretting the past, Barret. They're dead, but they all died for a good cause that they all believed in. And more importantly, they died for you and the Planet. You were their leader," said Cloud.

"Shit, I didn't know that Shinra was gonna break the whole damn pillar down! If I knew that, I would just gone by myself to stop them!" shouted Barret. Tifa came up from behind him and walked beside him in concern.

"I'm sure they would have gone with you anyway. They trusted you. We were all friends. We still are," said Tifa.

Barret snorted and trudged after Cloud, lowering his head and mumbling to himself. They continued along the jungle until they stopped suddenly when they heard a familiar voice.

"Is someone there?" asked Cloud, quietly. 

But then to his amazement, he saw Reno, Rude and Elena standing a short distance in front of them. They were talking to each other and they seemed to be waiting for someone.

"So…explain to me why we're here again," said Elena.

"Elena, we are here to seek out and defeat. It's what the Turks do. It's our job," replied Reno, sounding both rather annoyed and very bored.

"Oh…but AVALANCHE have weapons!" protested Elena.

"So do we, remember? Rude's got his fists, you've got your grenades, and I've got my nightstick," said Reno.

"Reno, have you forgotten about what they did to you at Sector 7!?" shouted Elena.

"No, of course not. Elena, how about you go find something else to do? Rude and I will wait here until they arrive. You just let us know if you see anything, and then report to Tseng," ordered Reno, sharply.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," muttered Elena, and she walked off. Reno glared after her, but then looked at Rude.

"I sent her off to find something else to do, instead of whining. I can't see why President Rufus employed her to replace me in the first place! She's useless!" shouted Reno, clearly annoyed. Rude shrugged.

"She has her virtues," said Rude, calmly and shortly.

"Where and what exactly? She's not exactly Turk material, after all, is she?" asked Reno, sharply. 

Rude just shrugged and said nothing. Reno shook his head, deciding to change the subject.

"So what are you thinking about, Rude?" asked Reno.

"Nothing…" replied Rude, shortly, turning away.

"Ah…I think I know. So whom do you like? Hey, Rude, come on. Who do you fancy?" asked Reno, curiously.

"Huh?" asked Rude, surprised and caught off guard by the question, and turned back to face Reno.

"I think you heard me, Rude. Come on, out with it. What are you getting so embarrassed about, anyway? Come on, who do you fancy? You've got to have someone that you like," said Reno, curiously, grinning with amusement.

            "…Tifa," said Rude, shyly, turning away. Reno seemed surprised and taken aback, and then looked thoughtful.

            "Geez, that's a tough one. But poor Elena. She, you…" said Reno. Rude immediately spun around, and shook his head.

            "No, Elena fancies Tseng," said Rude. 

Reno looked even more surprised than before.

            "Hey, I never knew that! Least now I know how I can get on HER nerves. But Tseng fancies that Ancient, Aeris," said Reno.

            "It can't be helped," said Rude, shrugging.

            "What are they talking about?" said Cloud, confused. 

Elena suddenly walked towards Cloud and the others from behind, apparently not remembering who they were.

            "They always do this! It's so stupid! They always talk about who they like or don't like. They're impossible. But Tseng is different," said Elena, with a sudden soft tone.

Suddenly, Elena remembered who Cloud and the others were, and with a startled cry of surprise, she ran quickly up to Reno and Rude.

            "They're here! They're really here!" shouted Elena.

            "Elena, first off kid, you should always salute your superiors. And remember, you're a Turk. There's no need to look stupid by running around when it's not necessary," said Reno, in mock anger.

            "But…" protested Elena, but Reno interrupted her.

            "No buts! Now, calm down and tell us what you were going to say," said Reno, a big grin on his face.        

"AVALANCHE is here! You should get ready," said Elena.

            "Ah, we'll be ready. We've been ready for hours now," said Reno, carelessly. 

Elena only nodded in response, and said nothing. Reno turned to face Rude.

"Then it's time. Rude, don't go easy on them even though they're just girls," said Reno, sarcastically.

            "Don't worry. I'll do my job," replied Rude.

            "Then, we're counting on you two. I'll go and report to Tseng!" said Elena.

            "Thanks, Elena. We'll deal with it from here. You go off and report to your boyfriend," said Reno, grinning.

Elena glared at him in response, and she ran off, while Rude and Reno walked over to Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Aeris, Red XIII, Cait Sith and Yuffie, who had just ran over to them.

            "Do you remember me, Cloud?" asked Reno, grinning mischievously. Cloud nodded, with a snarl.

            "You're Reno. The Turk who bombed and destroyed Sector 7, and tried to kidnap Aeris," replied Cloud, coldly.

            "That's right. It's nice to be remembered. But I'm only doing all those things because it's my job, nothing else. It's the same with every Turk. And right now, we have orders to defeat you and AVALANCHE on sight if necessary," said Reno, coolly.

            "So, you're going to follow Rufus's orders to the end, aren't you?" said Cloud, sharply. Reno nodded, and so did Rude.

            "It's been a while since the last time. It's going to be payback time for what you all did to me in Sector 7. We saw you in the Chocobo Races. You looked pretty damn stupid on that bird, you know. Maybe you should stick to being a loser. It seems to come naturally to you," said Reno, sniggering.

            "Get out of our way," snarled Cloud, sharply.

            "I don't like being taken for a fool," said Reno, coldly.

            "No wonder you've got such a bad attitude then," muttered Cloud. Reno glared at him.

            "That's as far as you go," said Rude, shortly, in a flat tone, and they both lunged forwards.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Elena ran over to Tseng, who was standing by a Shinra helicopter.

            "Tseng, we have spotted Cloud and his gang. Rude and Reno are taking care of them even as we speak," said Elena.

            "So our spy came in handy after all then, huh? They'll never suspect a thing. They'll lead us right to Sephiroth and the Promised Land. But after that, Rude and Reno must deal with them, before they get in our way," said Tseng.

            "Do you think that they're able to do it?" asked Elena.

            "Maybe…but, it doesn't matter either way. We'll deal with Cloud's gang soon enough. We'll just use our spy to inform us about their group's plans, and that way we'll know for sure where they're going to strike next," said Tseng.

Just then, Scarlet walked off the helicopter, and she walked over to Tseng.

            "Tseng, we must go now and find the Huge Materia! Hurry up!" snapped Scarlet.

            "Yes, Ma'am," said Tseng, irritably. 

They both got on the helicopter, and they went off in the helicopter, as Elena watched it soon fly away from view, and she stood there waiting anxiously for Rude and Reno.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Rude and Reno had just attacked Cloud, Aeris and Cait Sith, while the others had to stand back. This wasn't going to be an easy fight for either side.

            Reno quickly charged towards Cait Sith, and struck him hard on the head with his Nightstick, dazing Cait Sith for a while and giving him a nasty knock on his robotic furry head, and sending him crashing to the ground.

Reno then quickly raised his Nightstick, and fired a small red comet from his club straight at Aeris, hitting her hard, and sending her flying backwards on the ground, and giving her many bruises, and she winced with pain as she slowly got back up.

Rude was attacking relentlessly too, as he quickly ran up to Cloud, and punched him hard across the face with his fists, breaking his nose, and leaving bruises on his face.

Cloud yelled in pain and fell to the ground, before he quickly leaped back up again, green light suddenly bursting from beneath his feet, as he quickly grasped a Materia equipped to his sword. A circle of fire suddenly appeared around Reno and then closed around him, burning around him for a moment and then vanished, giving Reno many burns and marks.

Green light burst from the ground at Cait Sith's feet as he had also leapt back up from the ground, and grasped a Materia equipped to a strange looking mega-phone that the Mog carried at its side. A circle of fire appeared around both Reno and Rude and closed around them and vanished, giving them even more burns and marks, both of them yelling out in pain, clutching their aching burns.

Green light burst from the ground at Aeris's feet as she also grasped a Materia, equipped to her quarterstaff. A few huge bolts of lighting hit Rude, and struck him hard, dazing and stunning him for a while, as well as injuring him.

Green light suddenly burst from the ground at Cait Sith's feet as a circle of fire appeared around both Rude and Reno, and closed around them and then vanished, giving them even more burns and bruises.

They both yelled in agony from their intense burns and fell to the ground. Rude and Reno stopped fighting, and Reno lowered his Nightstick.

            "We may be retreating, but we're still victorious. We'll settle this later," said Reno. 

Rude nodded, and the two of them slowly and painfully got up, and ran away after quickly fully healing themselves, and their burns, with potions.

Tifa, Barret, Red XIII and Yuffie all walked back up to Cloud, Aeris and Cait Sith, as the three had also quickly healed all their injuries with potions. Tifa spoke up first.

            "Hey, something seems wrong. Like they knew that we were coming," said Tifa, thoughtfully.

            "How could they possibly have known? Are we really so predictable?" asked Red XIII.

            "I would like to think not, but it's better to think about that than the alternative," replied Cloud, grimly.

Yuffie looked at him in amusement and curiosity.

            "Oh yeah? And what's that?" asked Yuffie, bemused.

            "That one of us is a Shinra spy," replied Cloud, firmly.

There was a stunned silence, as everyone stared at Cloud, their eyes all open wide in surprise and disbelief.

            "A spy!? No way!" shouted Barret, incredulously.

            "Oh great…a spy. Now everyone's gonna blame me just because I'm the new guy. Typical, just typical…" muttered Cait Sith, clearly annoyed.

"I don't even want to consider the possibility that there might be a Shinra spy in our group. I trust everyone in it," said Cloud, heavily. 

After a moment of thoughtful silence, Red XIII shook his head in disagreement.

"There can't possibly be a spy. No, that's not really possible at all. Just look at us. Cloud may have had some experience with Shinra, but he's just on a mission to find Sephiroth and stop him, so he wouldn't have any reason left at all to work for Shinra anymore. Barret and Tifa are both original members of AVALANCHE, so if anyone is an unlikely candidate for a Shinra spy, it's them. Aeris and I were held in Hojo's research laboratory, and believe me when I say that anyone who went through all that would have no loyalty for Shinra whatsoever. I'll admit that I don't know Yuffie or Cait Sith as well as the others, but Cait Sith is just a fortune-telling machine, and Yuffie is just a teenager. And the Turks encountered us in the Mithril Caves anyway, before we even met either of them," said Red XIII.

"Or maybe it's that Dio guy. He let the Shinra troops run all over his place, and then conveniently gave us a buggy, and told us Sephiroth was headed for Gongaga, where Shinra would have been waiting for us," said Barret, thoughtfully.

            "I don't really think that its Dio's doing. I sort of worked for him, remember? I can tell you, there's not much more to that guy than meets the eye," said Cait Sith.

            "And what does meet the eye is way too much!" joked Yuffie, laughing.

"This is probably all just a coincidence," said Tifa.

Everyone nodded in relief, Barret a bit more reluctantly as if he was still suspicious, and glancing at each of them slowly with a stern look, most of all at Yuffie, but he finally turned away and shrugged to himself.

Soon, they walked along the jungle until they came to a destroyed Mako Reactor, in ruins. A meltdown explosion had clearly destroyed this Mako Reactor.

They went along the ruins of the Reactor when suddenly a Shinra helicopter landed nearby. A familiar woman in a red dress was getting out of the helicopter.

            "It's Scarlet. The head of the Shinra Weapon Development Department," said Cloud, surprised. 

Cloud and the others all quickly hid behind some ruins of the Reactor, while they watched Scarlet and Tseng walk up to the middle of the destroyed Mako Reactor.

Scarlet looked at it for a while, and then snorted.

"This isn't any good either. You only get junky Materia from junky Reactors. This Mako Reactor is obviously a failure. What I'm looking for is big, large, huge Materia. Have you seen any?" asked Scarlet, sharply, turning to face Tseng.

            "No, I haven't seen any. I'll get on it right away," said Tseng, hoping the pushy brat would decide to leave soon.

"Oh, please. We could make the Ultimate Weapon if we only had some big Materia," said Scarlet.

            "I just can't wait," replied Tseng, sarcastically and impatiently.

            "With Hojo gone, my Weapon Development Department's been getting a bigger budget," said Scarlet, smugly.

            "I envy them," said Tseng, sourly.

            "But even if we could make the perfect weapon, could that stupid Heidegger even figure out how to use it?" said Scarlet, indignantly, shaking her head irritably.

Tseng, having nothing nice to say about that, remained silent, as Scarlet turned to face him and laughed coldly.

            "Oh, sorry! I forgot that Heidegger is your boss!" said Scarlet, spitefully. 

She laughed cruelly, but Tseng still made no response or reaction. After all, Heidegger was Tseng's boss as well as being the boss of all the other Turks as well.

            "Let's go!" ordered Scarlet. 

Scarlet and Tseng went to the helicopter and quickly got on it, and the helicopter then quickly flew off. Cloud and the others were all still hiding and they weren't even noticed.

            "(Big, large, huge Materia? An ultimate weapon? The perfect weapon? Just what is Shinra Incorporated up to?)," wondered Cloud, thoughtfully.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Rude and Reno had run back over to Elena, who was waiting for them.

            "Did you guys defeat them?" asked Elena.

            "No, we didn't," replied Rude, calmly.

            "Why not!? Shinra and the President won't be pleased!" snapped Elena, furiously.

            "Just calm it down, Elena. Cloud and his gang are no threat to us. We can simply just hunt them down, and kill them any time we wish. I've fought against them twice now, and each time, I've got away without any serious injuries. They're nothing for us to worry about," said Reno, stubbornly.

            "But we have orders to kill them! We can't just keep toying with them!" protested Elena.

            "Don't worry. We will kill them any time that Shinra wants us to, but they don't quite want us to do it just yet. Right, Rude?" said Reno.

            Rude nodded, and he picked up a rock from the ground, and he crushed it into powder with his fist in only a few seconds.

            "Right, Reno," replied Rude, with a short nod.

            Just then, as if on cue, their ride flew overhead and landed at the pick-up point. Tseng jumped out of the helicopter and walked over to them.

            "So…how did things go with AVALANCHE this time? Let me guess…you got hurt pretty bad, and you need a week off," said Tseng, turning to face Reno.

            "Uh…actually I'm fine," said Reno, with a small shrug.

            "I'm pleasantly surprised," replied Tseng, with a snort.

            The four of them went back to the helicopter. As soon as it lifted off for its short trip to the other ruined Mako Reactor by Gongaga village, Scarlet got up and caused a scene.

            "I haven't slapped anyone in a while! I simply must slap someone soon or I'll go crazy!" exclaimed Scarlet. 

Everyone stared at her as if she was a psychopath.

            "You're all ready crazy," muttered Reno, not even bothering to look up at her.

Scarlet slapped him across the face, though it didn't seem to cause him much harm, and she was about to do it again when Tseng jumped in front of her.

"No! Don't slap him! If you want to slap any one, slap me. I can take it," said Tseng, coolly, not wanting Reno to cause even more health insurance premiums.

Scarlet looked at him for a few seconds. She muttered something that no one else heard, and sat back down without setting a hand on anyone.

"Hey, Rude! Scarlet must like Tseng! She refused to slap him," joked Reno, sniggering. 

Tseng felt sickened at the very thought of it.

"What did you say!?" snapped Scarlet, as she stood up, her angry face nearly as red as her dress and she kept slapping Reno across the face again until Tseng yanked her away. Reno yawned dully, although his cheeks ached slightly. Scarlet slapped him across the face again.

"Scarlet! We're almost at the other Mako Reactor. Come on!" said Tseng.

Scarlet slapped Tseng across the face in response, and she and Tseng walked out of the helicopter to expect the second and last Reactor in Gongaga (which was also in ruins, caused from an explosion due to a malfunction, though Shinra Incorporated believed otherwise). 

Elena approached Reno with a green Materia in her hand.

"Need Rude's Cure Materia, Reno?" asked Elena.

"Nope, I got a woman ring, Elena. Protects against female attacks, remember?" joked Reno, sarcastically. 

Scarlet and Tseng quickly arrived back, and got back on the helicopter, Scarlet having decided that the other Mako Reactor was also clearly a failure. Once they were inside, the helicopter took off for Midgar. Reno looked sleepy.

Next to him, Rude looked ready for a nap too. Elena had quietly changed seats, so that she was sitting next to Tseng instead. As much as Tseng resented it, it was a lot better than sitting next to Scarlet.

"That sure was a wasted trip. We let AVALANCHE go, and we didn't even find Sephiroth or that perverted wacko, Don Corneo either," muttered Elena.

"Don't tell me. Tell the one who thinks she's in charge," muttered Tseng, sneering at Scarlet, who didn't notice.

"Well…hopefully Reno got the need for revenge out of his system, at least," said Elena.

Reno opened his eyes, and glared at Elena to tell her he was listening when a sudden shriek from Scarlet quickly broke the silence.

"AHHH!!!! I lost an earring!! Pilot, turn back! Turn back, I say!!" shrieked Scarlet. 

Tseng had finally had enough of this. He quickly got out of his seat, annoyed and angry.

"Yes, pilot. Let's drop Scarlet off at the Reactor," said Tseng, irritably. 

The helicopter pivoted to one side as it made a U-turn.

"Oh, thank you, Tseng! That was a very special earring!" said Scarlet.

"Happy hunting then," said Tseng, as he quickly slid the side door open and kicked Scarlet overboard. 

He watched with pleasure for the few seconds it took for her from the helicopter to fall a hundred feet to the ground, screaming all the way. Reno quickly opened his weary eyes.

"Did she land on a spike?" asked Reno, hopefully.

"No, some stupid bush broke her fall," replied Tseng, in disappointment.

"Why can't I ever get that lucky?" muttered Reno, with a weary sigh. Tseng closed the side door and turned back to face his accomplice.

"So? Do you have it?" asked Tseng, curiously.

Reno laughed as he held out an earring in his hands.

"Yeah…She'll be occupied looking for that earring for a long time. Too bad she doesn't know it's right here. And even if she reports us for this, Rufus will never believe what she says anyway. Finally, we got our own back on her for the way she's treated us all the time, and for the humiliation she caused us over the years. Nobody messes with the Turks of Shinra!" said Reno, grinning.

The others nodded in agreement.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Cloud and the others went back to the jungle and they took a different route this time and they came to the village of Gongaga. Another Mako Reactor was nearby the village but this Reactor was also destroyed.

            "Another ruined Mako Reactor…" said Cloud, thoughtfully. 

Cloud and the others walked along the village until they walked into a house. An old man and woman were standing in the front room of the house, and turned to face them in surprise.

            "Are you a traveller? Hey, wait a moment…that glow in your eyes! You're from SOLDIER, aren't you?" asked the old man, suddenly bright with curiosity.

            "Oh, you're right! Don't you know anything about our son?" asked the old woman, urgently.

            "His name is Zack. It's been ten years since he left for the city, saying that he didn't want to live in the country no more. He left saying that he's going to join SOLDIER. Have you ever heard of a Zack in SOLDIER?" asked the old man.

            "I don't know…" said Cloud, surprised.

            "Zack…" whispered Aeris, looking suddenly very stunned and speechless, her beautiful emerald green eyes widening in surprise, and she took a few steps backwards in shock.

            "Young lady, do you know him?" asked the old man.

            "I remember he wrote to us, six or seven years ago, saying that he had a girlfriend. Could that have been you?" asked the old woman, curiously.

Aeris jumped in surprise, startled, and then she quickly ran out of the front door without saying a word.

Tifa ran out the door after her, but she also seemed to be thoroughly surprised by the name, 'Zack', as well.

            "(What's up with them?)" thought Cloud, bewildered, but even he thought there was something strangely familiar about that name…Zack…

Shaking his head, Cloud ran outside the house, while the others waited elsewhere in the village, and Cloud soon found Tifa further down the village.

"Zack…" said Tifa, thoughtfully.

            "Do you know him?" asked Cloud, curiously.

            "No, I don't know him!" shouted Tifa.

            "Your face tells me differently," said Cloud, flatly.

            "I told you, I don't know him!" shouted Tifa.

            "Alright," sighed Cloud, wearily, seeing that there was no way to get Tifa to say otherwise.

            "That just sounded a lot like you, that's all. Leaving town and saying that you're going to join SOLDIER," said Tifa.

            "There were a lot of guys like that back then," said Cloud, unconvinced by what she was saying, but deciding to keep quiet about it.

            "You must be really something. Making it in SOLDIER out of a group like that. I really respect you," said Tifa, staring at him with admiration.

            "I worked hard for it," said Cloud, shrugging.

            "Hard work pays off, huh? Cloud…thanks for caring," said Tifa, smiling, and suddenly, Tifa kissed Cloud on the cheek. 

Cloud blushed and turned away, but he was grinning, and then he ran off to look for Aeris, and found her alone, standing behind a house, facing a rock. Cloud was startled to see a few tears dripping down Aeris's face.

            "Aeris…?" said Cloud, moving towards her, and putting a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Aeris turned around to face Cloud, and tried to smile but didn't succeed.

            "What a shock…I never knew that Zack was from this town…" said Aeris, sadly.

            "You know him?" asked Cloud, surprised. Aeris sighed.

            "Didn't I already tell you? He was my boyfriend years ago, my first love. Zack…a First Class SOLDIER. The same as you were, Cloud," said Aeris.

            "That's strange, there aren't that many people who make First Class, but I've never heard of him," said Cloud, slowly.

            "That's all right. It's all in the past now. I was just worried about him because I heard he's been missing for a while now," said Aeris.

"Missing?" asked Cloud, concerned.

"I think it was five years ago. He went out on a job back then, and he never came back. He loved women, and he was a real lady's man. He probably just found someone else. I don't really mind that I haven't heard from him. But I feel sorry for his parents," said Aeris. 

Then looking closely at Cloud, her depressed look vanished as a big, amused smile appeared back on her face.

            "Are you...jealous? Hmmm? Hmmm? Are you, Cloud?" said Aeris, grinning.

Cloud jumped in surprise, trying to keep himself from blushing. Aeris smiled and pulled Cloud close to her and kissed him right on the lips. 

They both wrapped their arms around each other, and kissed each other deeply, for long minutes they remained unwatched and undisturbed.

Cloud and Aeris continued kissing each other passionately, their arms wrapped tightly around each other, when Aeris suddenly let go, and stepped backwards from Cloud, her eyes beginning to fill with tears again, and Cloud was startled and concerned to see this, attempting to move towards her, but Aeris quickly shook her head and held a hand up before her.

"I can't keep fooling myself any longer, Cloud…coming here, finding out that he lived here…makes me realise that I…I really do miss him…a lot, and I still love him. I always have…and I…I just can't forget about him, no matter how hard I try. You seem so much like him in many ways, so that was what really interested me in you, but…the truth is, you're not Zack, Cloud, and it's time I accepted it, and moved on…but I just can't forget him…and I don't think you can forget about Tifa either, can you?" asked Aeris, sadly.

Cloud hesitated, before slowly nodding.

"I can't lie to you either, Aeris…Tifa does mean so much to me, and she always has. The truth is, I love you, Aeris…but I love her too…" said Cloud, quietly.

Aeris nodded slowly, tears still sliding down her face.

"I love you too, Cloud…but I love Zack as well…and he'll always be in my heart, no matter where he is. It's obvious that both our feelings lie elsewhere, Cloud, so maybe we should just forget this and just be friends again for now. I'm really, really sorry…" said Aeris, sadly, and she suddenly ran off before Cloud could say another word.

Cloud stood rooted to the spot for a moment, far too shocked and stunned to move. Finally regaining his senses, he walked back into the middle of the Gongaga village where Aeris, Tifa, Barret, Red XIII, Cait Sith and Yuffie were all waiting. 

Cloud glanced at Aeris in concern, and she gave him a rather weak smile in return, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. The others, particularly Tifa, looked surprised and curious, but decided not to ask.

They all decided that Sephiroth was not in Gongaga after all, so they all left Gongaga, got back in the buggy and they continued their journey.

They travelled across fields, rivers, mountains and forests but thanks to the buggy, they did all of this without losing too much time. 

They travelled in the buggy until they reached their next destination – Cosmo Canyon, which was a big town in a canyon where people studied Planet life. But they weren't prepared for the next big surprise that would await them.


	59. Cosmo Canyon: A Grudge At Cosmo Canyon

Chapter 58 - A Grudge At Cosmo Canyon 

            Cloud's mind was on many things aside from what lay on the road ahead. On what he had heard in Gongaga about that other SOLDIER, Zack; what Aeris had told him; and more importantly, about the encounter with Turks.

A Shinra spy seemed the most likely answer, but the thought made Cloud's stomach turn. Besides, who could it have been? Sadly enough, fingers pointed more to either Yuffie or to Cait Sith than any of the others. Both would have their reasons, however strange they might be.

Had Yuffie's greed for Materia really have gotten the best of her? She was spoiled rotten, but Cloud wasn't ready to believe she could go as far as outward betrayal. 

And Cait Sith, the robotic cat and Mog, spent a lot of time to themselves, and he had admitted as much that the Mog was simply a stuffed robotic toy. The cat looked real enough, but Cloud had learned the hard way that appearances could be deceiving.

And then there was Sephiroth. Sephiroth wanted the Promised Land and so did Shinra. And Cloud needed to get Aeris there as well. But for what purpose? Why was he going to the Promised Land in the first place? To settle up with Sephiroth? Or was he going for Aeris?

And even the actual location of the Promised Land was a mystery, even to Aeris. Sephiroth claimed both to be an Ancient and to know the whereabouts of the Promised Land, where as Aeris had little or no clue at all where to even begin.

Currently, Sephiroth was in the lead with Shinra hot on his heels, leaving Cloud and the others straggling behind, scraping for answers in the remains left by Shinra, and even they were scrambling for clues behind Sephiroth.

Finally, what about Cloud himself? Was Sephiroth even aware that his former friend and soldier was still following him around? Or was he just leading him along? But why do such a thing? It would be a lot simpler to just confront him now and get it over with. Was he just toying with him? 

Maybe a final battle…maybe that's what the dark warrior wanted most, but Cloud doubted that he would be much of a challenge to Sephiroth.

Cloud's train of thought was suddenly derailed as his face split into a long yawn. Blinking, Cloud looked out the side of the buggy and was rather surprised to see the rocky red canyon walls of Cosmo Canyon streak past his door. 

"(Have we really travelled so far north already? That must have been some daydream)," thought Cloud.

Cloud then noticed that Red XIII was suddenly looking practically serious all of a sudden.

"This is Cosmo Canyon, my birthplace, and my hometown. If it's not too much trouble, I would like to stop and be let off here please," said Red XIII.

Before Cloud could answer, though, he jerked around and slammed on the brakes as a thunderous explosion blew the hood off the buggy and sent sparks flying from the battery. 

The buggy gave one more shudder, then dropped off its anti-gravity jets onto the ground, damaging the engine and spraying a jet of hot water into the air. But luckily, they had just broken down outside Cosmo Canyon, and would be able to stay there until the buggy was fixed.

"Looks like we're all going to be staying here for a while," said Cloud, thoroughly annoyed that there would be an even further delay that would cause him to lose even more progress on finding Sephiroth.

"So this is Cosmo Canyon, huh?" said Barret, amused, and looking around at Cosmo Canyon with great interest and clear fascination, as he and the others all got out of the buggy.

Barret ascended the stairs leading up from the canyon floor and stood in front of the front gates, his eyes wide with wonder at the sight before him.

Unlike the dirty, clogged skies of Midgar or the over-civilized city of Costa Del Sol, Cosmo Canyon was relatively small and smelled of opening desert blooms as they prepared to soak up the night's moisture. 

Several windmills provided the small power needed to run the few houses built into the cliffs, the biggest one being the very large, gigantic telescope on top of the highest cliff.

"Wow…it's amazing. I just wish you guys could have seen this…" muttered Barret, to himself, and Cloud knew he was talking (and thinking) about Biggs, Wedge and Jessie.

Cloud turned his gaze from the huge telescope to Barret as the big man gave a deep sigh and hung his head sadly. 

The death of his comrades in Sector 7 still weighed heavily on both his mind and his conscience, causing even Barret's great big black-skinned muscular shoulders to slump in despair.

Cloud, and the others entered Cosmo Canyon. They walked to the front gate where a man was standing guard. Suddenly, Red XIII ran straight past them and ran up to the man at the front gate, who suddenly seemed very pleased to see him.

            "I am finally home! It is I, Nanaki!" said Red XIII, proudly.

            "Hey, Nanaki! You're safe! Thanks heavens, we were all so worried! Come on in and say hello to Bugenhagen!" said the man at the front gate, joyfully.

Red XIII seemed suddenly excited, and he ran straight past the gate and ran along the town.

            "Nanaki…?" said Cloud, confused, and saw that the others were looking as bewildered as he was. Cloud and the others walked up to the man at the front gate.

            "Welcome to Cosmo Canyon. Are you familiar with this land?" asked the man at the front gate.

            "No…" replied Cloud, truthfully.

            "Then let me explain. People from all over the world gather here to seek the Study of Planet Life," explained the man at the gate. Barret seemed excited by this.

            "Yeah! I always wanted to come here," said Barret.

"It's full capacity at the moment, so I'm afraid that I can't let you enter," said the man at the front gate.

Barret suddenly looked very disappointed indeed.

Just then, Red XIII ran back to the front gate, and stopped beside the man at the front gate.

            "They rescued me from my lab prison when I was captured by Shinra, and they helped me travel to here safely all the way on the road. Please let them in," said Red XIII.

            "Oh, is that so? You helped our Nanaki? Please, come in, come in," said the man at the front gate, gratefully, stepping aside at once and bowing to them.

            "Who is Nanaki?" asked Cloud, confused. 

The man stared at Cloud, surprised and taken aback.

            "Nanaki is Nanaki. This is his name. Don't you already know that?" said the man at the front gate. 

He then walked off as Cloud and the others walked over to Red XIII, who turned to face them.

            "This is my hometown, and the place where I was born. My tribe have lived many, many years and they were all protectors of those who appreciated this beautiful canyon and the Planet. My noble mother fought and died bravely here. But my cowardly father left her. I am the last of my race," explained Red XIII.

            "Cowardly father?" said Cloud, confused.

            "Yes, my father was an utter coward. And so, the mission I inherited from all my ancestors is to protect this place. My journey ends here," said Red XIII, speaking very firmly rather than in his usual gentle tone, making it very clear that nothing would convince him otherwise.

Everyone else's eyes widened in surprise and they were all speechless with a sudden gloomy feeling they all shared.

They had all believed and truly felt that Red XIII was a vital part of the team, and that he would stick with them to the very end of their adventure.

They had all believed that Red XIII had felt the same way about it too…

            "Hey, Nanaki! You're home!" shouted a rather croaky voice that sounded very old indeed, which was coming from the top of the highest cliff where the large telescope was.

"Coming, Grandpa!" shouted Red XIII. 

He ran up some steps and into some houses to get to his adoptive (human) grandfather's house on the top of the cliff beside the telescope. Barret stared after Red XIII, amused.

            "Grandpa, huh? So that's what he was talking about back in that Shinra prison cell. Good timing, though. Let's take a breather. I've got some stuff that I want to find out about too," said Barret.

Barret then walked off to a house built in one of the cliffs, while Cait Sith walked off to another house built in one of the cliffs, and Yuffie walked off to find a Materia shop.

Aeris and Tifa walked off together towards a bar in Cosmo Canyon, while Cloud quickly followed Red XIII. 

Cloud entered the houses and he went along them until he ran into Barret, who was standing in a room.

"There was this guy who studied Planetary Life here. He couldn't take things the way they were, so he went to Midgar to form AVALANCHE. You wanna hear more?" asked Barret.

            "Go on," replied Cloud, shrugging.

"I guess you could say that this is where AVALANCHE was born. I always wanted to come here myself to see it. And now, I've finally made it at last. A lot has happened these past few months though. Far more than I expected…" said Barret, thoughtfully.

"And then?" asked Cloud.

"I dunno what's gonna happen now…now that there's no more AVALANCHE…" said Barret, miserably. 

It was quite clear that he was talking about the deaths of Biggs, Wedge and Jessie, and that he was still very upset about them indeed.

Cloud left the room and he walked to the top floor of the houses. He found a room at the top and he went in. 

Red XIII and his adoptive (human) grandfather, Bugenhagen, were in the room alone, and both turned to face Cloud.

To Cloud's astonishment, Bugenhagen was one hundred and thirty years old. So he was very old indeed, but he was still an expert in Planet knowledge.

More than an expert, in fact. He was also very wise and intelligent. He wore black sunglasses, a purple jacket and green trousers. He seemed, strangely, to be floating in the air, floating above where his legs should have been. 

He seemed to be using some strange, fairly old device that seemed to have been built by Shinra to make him hover above the ground.

"Cloud, this is my grandfather, Bugenhagen. He is truly incredible. He knows everything," said Red XIII.

Bugenhagen chuckled at that, and turned to face Cloud.

"I hear that you looked after Nanaki a bit. We are eternally in your debt. Nanaki is still only a child, you see," said Bugenhagen.

"Please stop it, grandfather. I'm forty-eight years old," said Red XIII, with clear exasperation. 

Bugenhagen simply laughed at Cloud's thoroughly bewildered expression.

"Nanaki's tribe can live for an incredibly long time on this Planet. So you see, his forty-eight years would be equivalent to that of a fifteen or sixteen year old in human reckoning," explained Bugenhagen.

"Fifteen or sixteen!?" shouted Cloud, shocked and surprised, hardly believing that Red XIII was that young, or that he would live for so long.

"Nanaki is quiet, mature and very deep. Did you think that he was an adult?" asked Bugenhagen. Red XIII sighed sadly.

"Grandfather…I want to be an adult. I want to grow up, and be able to protect you and the village," said Red XIII. 

Bugenhagen shook his head firmly.

"No, Nanaki. It is not wise to grow up quickly. Grow up too fast and you miss far too much. You can't stand-alone on your own four feet and protect this canyon right now. To do that now would destroy you in the long run. Reaching up into the heavens, threatening to snatch the very stars from the great city of Midgar. You've seen it, haven't you? Well, that's a bad example. Looking up too much makes you lose perspective. When it is time for this Planet to die, you'll understand that you know absolutely nothing," said Bugenhagen.

"When the Planet DIES!?" shouted Cloud, shocked and immensely horrified.

"It might be tomorrow, or it might be a hundred years from now. But its not too far off," said Bugenhagen.

"How do you know all of this?" asked Cloud, suspiciously.

"I hear the cries of the Planet," replied Bugenhagen. 

Suddenly, they could all hear a strange sound.

"What's that?" asked Cloud.

"The sounds of the stars in the heavens. While this goes on, Planets are born and Planets die," said Bugenhagen. 

Suddenly, an even stranger sound was heard, sounding like a cross between a wail and a screech.

"What was that?" asked Cloud.

"That was a scream from this Planet. Didn't you hear. As if to say, I hurt, I suffer," said Bugenhagen.

"They have come here on a journey to save the Planet. Why don't you show them your Planetarium?" said Red XIII.

"To save the Planet? A most difficult task. But, then again, I guess it wouldn't hurt to show him," said Bugenhagen.

"Bugenhagen!" shouted a voice. A man entered the room.

"Several different looking people have come," informed the man, flatly.

"The whole place has got busy all of a sudden," said Bugenhagen.

"Cloud brought his friends with him. I'll go get them," said Red XIII. The man left the room.

"Cloud, please call two of them. Only three people can fit in grandfather's Planetarium machine," said Red XIII. 

He left the room and Cloud also went outside and found Yuffie and Cait Sith at some sort of restaurant that looked more like a kitchen than anything else. Cloud walked over to them.

"Hey Yuffie, Cait Sith. Red XIII's grandfather, Bugenhagen, offered to let me take a look at his Planetarium. So I'll be up there for a little while. He said I could bring two friends, so I'd invite you two if you wanted to come," said Cloud.

"Nah, we want food," said Cait Sith.

"What are you talking about? You're a robot. You don't even eat food," said Yuffie, bewildered. Cait Sith just shrugged.

"Well actually, I know Barret would love to see it. And Tifa and I used to look at the stars, back in Nibelheim, when we were kids. It'll be like old times, maybe, so I had planned on taking her too," said Cloud.

"Aw, poor Aeris will feel so left out," joked Cait Sith. 

Yuffie giggled slightly and Cloud nearly blushed as he left.

Soon though, Cloud was back at Bugenhagen's house with Barret and Tifa, ready to go into the Planetarium.


	60. Cosmo Canyon: Bugenhagen's Observatory

Chapter 59 - Bugenhagen's Observatory 

"Over here, Cloud, everyone. The door's unlocked, so just come on into this room. Make yourselves at home," said Bugenhagen.

Nodding to each other, Cloud, Tifa and Barret obediently walked into the room, where Bugenhagen was waiting for them, and he turned around to face them.

"It looks like you're all here. Then let's begin. I'll stand there," said Bugenhagen. 

They all went on a platform, which quickly moved and went higher until they stopped beneath a big model of the Planet's solar system.

"This is all so pretty. It's just like the real thing," said Tifa, looking around at the model in amazement and awe, and Cloud could see why in an instant; the model looked almost like the real solar system itself, only in much smaller size.

"Yes, it is pretty good. This is my laboratory…my Planetarium. All the workings of space are entered into this 3D holographic system," said Bugenhagen.

"It just looks like Dyne's fifth grade science project to me," said Barret, shrugging. 

Bugenhagen simply laughed in response.

"Appearances can be deceiving, yes? You, the first of AVALANCHE, should know at least that much by now," said Bugenhagen. 

Barret turned to face the old man with a very puzzled look on his face. 

"You know us? I mean...AVALANCHE?" asked Barret, bewildered.

"Of course. AVALANCHE'S founder was raised in Cosmo Canyon. He had such big dreams for the Planet, moving to Midgar, promising to destroy Shinra. I heard he died not too long after reaching the city," said Bugenhagen.

"There was a train crash in Sector 4 in Midgar, about six or seven years ago, when I was still in training in SOLDIER. They said that he was one of the victims, but now I'm not so sure I believe that, it might just have been another one of their cover-ups," said Cloud.

"I remember hearing about that. And after that, AVALANCHE began putting messages up on the Shinra World-Wide Newsgroup about the guy. Even then, no one really knew who the hell he was. That's how I got introduced to AVALANCHE and became the new leader," explained Barret.

"Well, enough about that. It's time to look towards the future, not the past," said Bugenhagen.

"Hey, a shooting star!" exclaimed Tifa. 

A model shooting star suddenly straight flew past them and the model Planets, as if it was actually happening in space, and it quickly flew out of sight.

"Wow, how wonderful," exclaimed Tifa, clearly in awe and amazement, as she stared around at the animated model, which clearly seemed to somehow move of its own free will, as if it all was really happening in reality.

"Yes, this Planetarium certainly is something truly amazing, isn't it now? Well anyway then, let's get back to the subject, shall we? Eventually, all humans will die, reaching the end of their lives. What happens to them after they die? The body decomposes and it returns to the Planet. That much everyone knows. What about their consciousness, their hearts and their souls? The soul also returns to the Planet. And it's not only humans, but also every single living thing on this Planet. In fact, all living things in the universe are the same. The spirits that return to the Planet, merge with one another and roam the Planet," explained Bugenhagen.

"They roam, converge and divide, becoming a swell called the Lifestream. Lifestream, in other words, a path of energy of the souls roaming the Planet. Spirit energy is a word that you should never forget. A new life, children are blessed with spirit energy and they are brought into this world," explained Bugenhagen.

"Then, the time comes when they die and once again, they return to the Planet. Of course, there are exceptions, but this is simply the way of the world. I've digressed, but you'll understand better if you listen to this," explained Bugenhagen.

"Spirit energy makes all things possible. Forests, rivers, and even all living things. Spirit energy is what allows Planets to be Planets. What would happen if all the spirit energy disappeared? The Planet would instantly die, and wither away into dust. These are merely the basics of the Study of Planet Life," explained Bugenhagen.

"If the spirit energy is lost, then our Planet is destroyed," said Cloud, realising this truth.

"Spirit energy is efficient because it exists within nature. When spirit energy is forcefully extracted and manufactured, it can't accomplish its true purpose," explained Bugenhagen.

"You're talking about Mako energy, right?" asked Cloud.

"Yes, indeed. Everyday, Mako Reactors suck up spirit energy, diminishing it. Spirit energy gets compressed in the Reactors and processed into Mako energy. All living things are being used up and thrown away. In other words, Mako energy will only destroy the Planet. At this rate, I'm afraid that it will not be long before the Planet simply just withers away," explained Bugenhagen.

The platform of the Planetarium quickly lowered itself as Bugenhagen operated it, and they all stepped off it, and stood in the room below the Planetarium. Bugenhagen began to speak up again, and everyone else listened intently.

"This is known as the story of the Planets, and those who lived with them. You want to know more? Then you must listen to the words of the elders," said Bugenhagen.

Cloud, Barret and Tifa left Bugenhagen's house and the other houses. Cloud, Tifa and Barret went to the Cosmo candle – a bonfire in the middle of the town, which had been alight for many, many years in Cosmo Canyon as a tradition. 

Cait Sith, Red XIII, Aeris and Yuffie were already sitting around it so Cloud, Barret and Tifa sat around it as well, all of them lost in their own thoughts.


	61. Cosmo Canyon: Cosmo Candle

Chapter 60 - Cosmo Candle 

"I wonder how many years it's been since I last came over here. Gosh, it brings back so many memories," said Cait Sith, thoughtfully.

Everyone sitting around the eternal bonfire of Cosmo Canyon seemed lost in their own thoughts, and Cloud wondered if that was a strange effect that the bonfire had on people. Cloud sat down next to Aeris, and he noticed at once that she seemed both sad and sorrowful.

"I heard that Bugenhagen had a talk with you, too. What was that all about?" asked Cloud, concerned and worried, while Aeris sighed sadly.

"I learned a lot here, since we arrived. I looked around the whole place, and visited the elders of the canyon to learn more about the Planet. The elders taught me many things, and it wasn't just about the Planet. They also taught me many things about the Cetra, and about the Promised Land. And now I realise more than ever that I'm…I'm alone. I'm all alone in this world now," said Aeris, sadly.

"But what about us? We're still here for you, right?" said Cloud, gently, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"I know you are all here for me, but…but I am the only Cetra left alive on the Planet now…" said Aeris, her head bowed, and her gaze still directed at the ground, while Cloud was getting increasingly worried for her.

"Does that mean that we can't help?" asked Cloud, concerned, wanting desperately to help her, instead of feeling as helpless as he felt right now.

Aeris made no response and she turned away from him, and she lowered her head in sadness and despair. As Aeris was silent, Barret then began to speak his thoughts, looking glum and thoughtful as well, but everyone else paid close attention to him as he spoke up.

"Cosmo Canyon…this is where AVALANCHE was born and founded. I promised my three best friends, that when we saved the Planet from Shinra, we would all go to Cosmo Canyon and celebrate. Biggs…Wedge…Jessie…now, they're all gone. They died for the Planet. Really…? To save the Planet? We all hated Shinra. Do I even got to go on? Will my three best friends ever forgive me? Right now, I don't really know. But I do know one thing. If there's anything I can do to save the Planet or the people living on it, then I'm gonna do it! I don't care if it's for justice or revenge, or whatever, I don't care. Let them decide for themselves. Shinra's going down! I'm gonna do it!! Again, again!! AVALANCHE is born again!!" shouted Barret, more determined then ever.

"Cloud…bonfires are funny, aren't they? They make you remember all sorts of things. You know, Cloud, five years ago…no, it's nothing. Forget it. I'm afraid to ask," said Tifa, quickly, nervously avoiding Cloud's gaze.

"What is it?" asked Cloud, concerned, seeing that Tifa was looking suddenly very worried and troubled.

"It feels…as if…as if you're going far away from us…from me. You…really are you…right?" asked Tifa, anxiously.

Bewildered, Cloud didn't know what to say to that, so he made no response to Tifa's bizarre question, but Tifa seemed to still be giving it a lot of thought, apparently it was something very important to her for some strange reason, and Cloud wondered what it was, and what it had to do with Nibelheim, five years ago. Red XIII then started to speak, snapping Cloud out of his thoughts.

"Long, long ago…when I was still very small…a small pup…we were all around this flame…no, never mind," said Red XIII, quickly, shaking his head.

"What happened?" asked Cloud, curiously, also concerned to know what Red XIII seemed troubled about.

"This flame, Cosmo Candle, is never allowed to go out, not even for a moment. Once it did, and...disaster…but enough about that, this is about my parents. When I think about my mother, I am full of pride and joy. But when I remember my father, my heart is full of anger and hate," said Red XIII.

"Is this when your mother fought and died bravely like you said earlier?" asked Aeris, gently. 

Red XIII nodded solemnly in response.

"The canyon was attacked by vicious warriors of the GI tribe. And my father abandoned us, while my mother fought to her last breath. I can never forgive him for such a cowardly act," said Red XIII.

"Hey, Red XIII, why didn't you tell us that your real name was Nanaki in the first place?" asked Yuffie, curiously, raising an eyebrow, while Red XIII snorted in response.

"I am Nanaki. I, Nanaki, am the protector of this canyon, not a rebel. And besides, it makes no difference what my name is. Soon, you'll all be going on your journey without me, and you won't have to call me anything anymore. I am staying here. I will succeed where my father failed. I will never forgive him for such a cowardly act," said Red XIII. 

Just then, Bugenhagen suddenly arrived, moved towards them and he faced Red XIII, and sighed quietly.

"You really can't forgive your father?" asked Bugenhagen.

Red XIII shook his head and snarled angrily.

"Of course not. He left my mother for dead. When the GI tribe attacked us, he ran off by himself, leaving behind mother and the people of the canyon!" roared Red XIII, burning with rare murderous rage.

"Come Nanaki. There is something that you should see," said Bugenhagen. 

Red XIII stared at him with curiosity and surprise.

"The place that I'll take you to may be dangerous. Cloud, will you and one other person please come with us?" asked Bugenhagen.

"Dangerous? Count me out," said Cait Sith, shivering.

"I think I'll just stay here and relax for a while," said Yuffie.

"I wonder what he wants to show Red XIII?" said Aeris, curiously and thoughtfully.

"Where the hell are they going?" asked Barret.

"Can I go too?" asked Tifa. 

Cloud nodded and they followed Bugenhagen and Red XIII up the stairs and through the houses until they came to a secret metal door in the wall of the canyon.

"Are we all set?" asked Bugenhagen.

"Yeah," replied Cloud.

"Then shall we go in?" asked Bugenhagen. 

He pressed a button and the metal door opened.

"Alright, then. Come in," said Bugenhagen.

"Hey, aren't you going with us, grandpa?" asked Red XIII.

"What, are you crazy? It's dangerous in there! I told you that! You want an old man like me to go in first? I'll be in right behind you," said Bugenhagen.


	62. Cosmo Canyon: Nanaki, The Son Of Seto

Chapter 61 – Nanaki: The Son Of Seto 

Cloud, Tifa and Red XIII walked through the metal door with Bugenhagen behind them. They climbed down some ropes and they entered a sealed cave. 

They were in the Cave of the GI tribe. They went along the cave until they came to the first passage in it.

"Every creature in this cave is a ghost of the GI tribe. Killed in a certain battle," said Bugenhagen.

"A certain battle?" said Red XIII, curiously, knowing exactly what battle Bugenhagen was talking about.

"The vengeful spirits of the GI tribe didn't disappear and couldn't return to the Lifestream. It was here that the bloodthirsty GI tribe made their final stand. Their spirits still reside in this cave. We still have far to go," said Bugenhagen.

"Tell me about it. Are you okay, Tifa?" asked Cloud.

"I'm fine, but this cave is giving me the creeps. It's as if something's not too happy with us being down here," said Tifa.

"Well, would you enjoy someone coming into your grave and waking you up? We'll be leaving soon anyway, the back of the canyon isn't too far ahead," said Bugenhagen.

Cloud, Tifa and Red XIII walked through the passage and along the cave with Bugenhagen behind them. They walked along the cave until they came to another passage.

"As you can see, this cave leads to the back of Cosmo Canyon. It was most unfortunate that the GI tribe were larger and more vicious than us. If they attacked through here, we wouldn't have stood a chance. Let us move on. The treacherous GI Nattak, the evil leader of the GI tribe who summoned up the fury of the Planet against us, met his match in a single warrior in the back of this very cavern. If it were not for that great warrior, we would have been lost. It would not surprise me to find out he is still here," explained Bugenhagen.

"How much do you know about the GI tribe anyway?" asked Cloud, curiously.

"He knows everything," replied Red XIII, shortly.

"Quiet! The GI tribe have been long-time enemies of the guardians of this canyon. Why they are our enemies or how it came to be is a story so old that even I do not know it. Yet we continued to fight, regardless of any reason. What other reason did we need other than the fact that our fathers died fighting the GI tribe? Perhaps the GI tribe themselves knew. Yet now, they are all dead, so it will always remain a great mystery," explained Bugenhagen.

"(No reason to fight…then what am I fighting for? What are we all really fighting for?)" thought Cloud, to himself.

Cloud, Tifa and Red XIII continued through the passage and they walked along the cave with Bugenhagen. They walked along the cave, came to five passages, went to the second passage, and they walked along it until their path was blocked by a spider web, and a huge, gigantic, green spider. 

They had no choice but to attack it. Bugenhagen could not fight because he was very old and weak, so he quickly moved out of the way while Cloud, Tifa and Red XIII began to battle the giant spider.

The giant spider suddenly rammed hard into Red XIII, knocking him backwards and sent him flying into a cave wall and he dropped to the ground afterwards, but Red XIII seemed fine for the most part, although bruised, and got back up slowly as the gigantic spider reared down upon him.

Seeing that Red XIII was in trouble, Cloud quickly ran over to the giant spider, raised his sword, and he slashed his sword right through the middle of the spider, killing it instantly, as it fell to the ground in its own dark blood.

Red XIII looked at Cloud, and bowed his head at him to show his thanks for saving his life. Cloud understood, and simply shrugged in response as if to say it was nothing, which Red XIII also understood, and they continued along the path, with the others quickly following them.

Cloud, Tifa and Red XIII continued further along the path of the caves until they reached the last passage. Bugenhagen was behind them, and began to speak up again.

"The great warrior entered this cave all by himself. Fighting attackers one by one, one after another, until he finally faced the leader, the GI Nattak, and was able to defeat it in battle, but he perished in the deed," said Bugenhagen.

"Grandpa…that warrior…" began Red XIII, curiously.

"We're almost there," said Bugenhagen, quickly interrupting him, and Red XIII looked surprised at this, but said nothing, as they walked towards the last passage of the caves.

Cloud, Tifa, Red XIII went though the passage with Bugenhagen behind them. They walked along the cave until they suddenly saw a very strange and menacing sight, and they all quickly stopped in their tracks, shocked and horrified.

A towering figure composed of raw Mako, burning fire and the stone-cold dead seeped from the walls, and stood blocking the cavern leading into the back of the canyon. 

The hulking un-dead stretched its long-unused limbs, and it shrieked again and again, as it burrowed its fist into a large rock, instantly smashing it to pieces, and then it pulled out a huge, deadly spear nearly as long as it was, with a very sharp pointy spike on the end of it, as with a thrust of its spear, the ghost sliced another huge rock into pieces as if it were no more than warm butter.

"What…what is this!?" shouted Bugenhagen, surprised and shocked, and clearly alarmed.

"Grandpa, is he…!?" shouted Red XIII, shocked and horrified, recognising the un-dead ghost.

"After their death…the ghosts of the GI tribe…like stagnant air. This…cannot be!! shouted Bugenhagen, horrified. 

The ghost's haunting eyes glowed darkly, and then it grinned an evil grin.

Suddenly, the big ghost appeared right in front of them. It was not transparent and it seemed a little solid, but otherwise it was clearly a ghost. It had a pitch-black face, two arms and no legs. It floated in mid-air and it was carrying the large spear in one of its ghostly hands. 

The ghost was the GI Nattak itself, the evil leader of the GI tribe that was responsible for the terrible battle in Cosmo Canyon many years ago. 

Cloud, Tifa and Red XIII began to fight it, while Bugenhagen quickly got out of the way, and he moved quickly away from the battle that quickly took place.

Green light quickly burst from the ground at Cloud's feet, as a ball of ice with very sharp icicles on the end of it appeared out of nowhere and struck the GI Nattak, but the GI Nattak shattered it to pieces with its spear, so the GI Nattak wasn't affected.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII'S feet as some flames suddenly appeared out of nowhere and struck the GI Nattak, burning it slightly.

The GI Nattak then suddenly drained energy from Tifa using its spear, and transferred the energy to itself. This caused Tifa to suddenly get slightly worn out, while the GI Nattak was fully healed from its burns.

Despite feeling drained, green light quickly burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as some bolts of lightning appeared out of nowhere, and struck the GI Nattak hard, giving it an electric shock. The GI Nattak seemed dazed and had marks over its ghostly body.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII'S feet, as some icicles appeared out of nowhere, and were about to strike the GI Nattak, but it was able to smash them to pieces using its spear, and was therefore not affected.

Green light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as some bolts of lightning appeared out of nowhere, and swiftly struck the GI Nattak hard, shocking it and giving it more marks across its ghostly body.

The GI Nattak suddenly attacked Tifa with its great spear, whacking her straight across her face with the handle of it, breaking her nose and injuring her, as she yelled out in pain, and stumbled to the ground, but then she just managed to get back up, though was still bleeding.

Acting quickly, green light burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as a circle of magical energy suddenly appeared and closed around her, and then vanished, fully healing all of her injuries in the process.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII'S feet as a bolt of lightning appeared from out of nowhere and struck the GI Nattak, but it was able to deflect it with its spear and was therefore not affected.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as she quickly ran up to the GI Nattak, and she punched it several times with powerful blows, knocking it around several times and leaving it with bruises and dazing it.

Tifa suddenly performed a somersault, and hit the GI Nattak hard with her legs in mid somersault, sending it flying backwards into the cave wall, and injuring it.

Not stopping her attack there, Tifa suddenly performed a handstand, and she spun herself around several times, her legs hitting the GI Nattak hard and quickly several times, knocking it about several times, and leaving it with many bruises and injuries across its body. 

Tifa quickly back got up, and she went back over to Cloud and Red XIII, feeling slightly exhausted from her sudden barrage of attacks.

Green light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as a wall of fire appeared out of nowhere around the GI Nattak, closed around it, and then vanished, giving the GI Nattak many burns and wounds, and it didn't seem like it would last much longer, as the GI Nattak let out an agonized shriek.

Green light suddenly burst from the ground at Red XIII'S feet as a bolt of lightning quickly appeared out of nowhere, and struck the GI Nattak hard, dazing and injuring it, and nearly finishing it off.

But the GI Nattak suddenly raised its large spear again, and pointed it at Red XIII, suddenly draining some energy from Red XIII, leaving him feeling slightly exhausted, and transferred it to itself, fully healing of its injuries, burns and bruises, much to the horror of the others, as they began to wonder if this thing could really be defeated if it kept healing itself…

Green light burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as some bolts of lightning quickly appeared out of nowhere, and struck the GI Nattak heavily, dazing it and leaving it with many marks, and injuring it.

Green light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as a ball of ice with sharp icicles on the end of it appeared out of nowhere and struck the GI Nattak, smashing into it and piercing it with its sharp icicles, wounding it.

Green light burst from the ground at Red XIII'S feet as a bolt of lightning appeared out of nowhere and was about to strike the GI Nattak, but it deflected the attack with its spear and was therefore not affected.

Green light burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as some bolts of lightning appeared out of nowhere and struck the GI Nattak, dazing and stunning it for a while, as well as leaving it with scorch marks.

Red XIII quickly used this to his advantage as green light burst from the ground beneath his feet, as some icicles appeared out of nowhere, and struck the GI Nattak, all of them going right through its un-dead body, and stabbing it straight through its horrible, ghostly heart.

The GI Nattak shrieked loudly with rage and agony, and with a sudden flash of bright light, it disintegrated into nothingness, and was gone forever. Bugenhagen floated back over to Cloud, Red XIII and Tifa.

"Thank you, Cloud, and Tifa. Because of you two, we survived and defeated the ghastly creature. But it was because of Nanaki especially that we survived and won. Nanaki, you have grown strong, too. Indeed, you have grown much since I saw you last. You are now as strong, as brave, and as noble as any of your ancestors were," said Bugenhagen, proudly.

"Oh really?" said Red XIII, looking rather pleased and delighted, and glowed with pride.

"Now I know without doubt that it wasn't a mistake bringing you here. Come, I have something that I want to show you, Nanaki," said Bugenhagen.

Cloud, Tifa, Red XIII and Bugenhagen went through the final passage in the cave to the very end of the canyon. Cloud found and picked up a green Gravity Materia on the way there, quickly pocketing it.

When they got there, they came to a large pile of rocks, and behind the pile was a mountain. Bugenhagen turned to face them, looking at Nanaki, and he spoke up.

"This, Nanaki, is the end of the canyon, where the last battle between the GI Nattak and a lone warrior from the canyon ended many years ago. The earth heaved, and the stars fell from the sky with the fury of the battle, or so the story says," said Bugenhagen. 

Red XIII looked very puzzled.

"A lone warrior? Grandfather, you told me all the guardians were at the gates to Cosmo Canyon when the last battle took place," said Red XIII.

"All but one, Nanaki. Look up, onto the cliff, struck with poisoned arrows, which turned him to stone, the great warrior himself, who stayed behind by himself to hold off the GI tribe from coming through the secret ways of the canyon. Should they have come through here, we would have all been dead," said Bugenhagen. 

Red XIII looked up at the mountain and at the cliff on top of it, where a figure stood upon it.

On the top of the mountain on the edge of the cliff was a lion-like creature like Red XIII, but it was stone, and therefore, was not moving. 

It was bigger and far more muscular than Red XIII and it had arrows stabbed in its back and all around its body. Red XIII leaped and climbed onto the top of the pile of rocks and he stared up in amazement and disbelief at the stone lion-like creature on the top of the mountain.

"This is…" began Red XIII, but Bugenhagen interrupted him, and started to explain the truth, also looking up at the stone lion-like creature.

"This is the great warrior who fought against the GI Nattak, and all of the GI tribe. He kept them from even taking one step into Cosmo Canyon. But he was unable to return home after he was turned to stone. Look, Nanaki. Look at your father, at the great warrior – Seto!" said Bugenhagen, pointing to the stone lion-like creature on the top of the mountain.

"That's Seto? That's…my father?" spluttered Red XIII, in disbelief, stunned and speechless. Bugenhagen nodded.

"Seto continued to fight the GI tribe here. To protect this canyon. He ran from the canyon to lure the GI tribe away from the canyon, and its secret ways that they so desired to reach, and he fought against them in these caves. Even after the GI's poisonous arrows turned his body to stone. Even after they all ran away after their leader was defeated, and even after they were all defeated, Seto continued to protect us. And although he is no longer living, he continues to protect us even now," explained Bugenhagen.

"Even now…" whispered Red XIII, thoughtfully.

"You saw him run from the canyon, and thought that he was a coward. But he alone gave his life to protect Cosmo Canyon and all of its people. He was bravely luring the GI tribe away from the canyon, not running away from them. That is what your father, Seto, did for this canyon," explained Bugenhagen.

"That's what Seto did!? Did my mother know!?" asked Red XIII, urgently, shocked, staring back at Bugenhagen.

"Oh, she knew. Years before they died, both of them made me promise to keep this cave shut. They asked me to seal it myself, and not to tell a soul. They said we should forget about this cave. Cloud, Tifa, would you both mind leaving the two of us alone?" asked Bugenhagen.

Cloud nodded, and he and Tifa left Bugenhagen and Red XIII alone, and went back to Cosmo Canyon outside the cave.

Bugenhagen turned, and looked back at Red XIII.

"Nanaki, I want you to continue your journey with Cloud and the others," said Bugenhagen.

Red XIII jumped in shock, and he was clearly very taken aback indeed.

"Grandpa!?" shouted Red XIII, surprised and shocked.

"Listen to me, Nanaki. Cloud says that he and his friends are trying to save the Planet. Honestly, I don't think that it can be done. Even if they stop every Mako Reactor on the Planet, it's only going to postpone the inevitable. Even if they stop Sephiroth, everything will perish," explained Bugenhagen.

"But, Nanaki, I've been thinking lately. I've been thinking that if there was anything we could do as a part of the Planet…something to help a Planet already in misery. No matter what happens, isn't it important to try? Am I just wishing against fate? Either way, I am too old to do anything about it. I'm already one hundred and thirty years old. I will not live to see the Planet's fate or salvation. That is why, Nanaki, you must go forth with them. For my sake and the Planet's," explained Bugenhagen.

"Grandpa…" said Red XIII, quietly, speechless.

"I wanted to show you what your father was really like before you left. I'm so glad that you came back while I was still alive to show you," said Bugenhagen.

"Grandpa, don't talk like that. I don't want to think of life without you," said Red XIII, sadly.

"Well, I've had a very long life, Nanaki, more than almost any human that has ever lived on this Planet. You must remember that," said Bugenhagen, calmly.

"Grandpa, you still must live! I'll see to it! I'll see to what's happening to the Planet, and I will help save it! And I'll come back to tell you all about it one day!" shouted Red XIII.

"Nanaki…" said Bugenhagen, slowly, struck anew by how mighty and noble Red XIII suddenly seemed to become, as the lion-like creature stood proudly upon the large pile of rocks.

"I am Nanaki of Cosmo Canyon! Son of the great warrior, Seto! I will come back as a great warrior, just like my father was, true to that noble name! So please, grandpa…" said Red XIII.

Suddenly, something fell from the stone body of Seto at the top of the mountain, and dripped onto the ground. It looked like a large green glowing drop.

"That's some of Seto's spirit energy. He truly is listening to us, Nanaki. And he is expressing his pride in you," said Bugenhagen, looking speechless for once.

"Seto…my father…" said Red XIII, staring intently up at the stone form of his father without breaking his gaze.

Red XIII howled mournfully into the night, as more and more of Seto's spirit energy continued to pour and fall.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Cloud and Tifa had got out of the cave, and they walked over to Cosmo Candle, where Cait Sith, Aeris, Yuffie and Barret were still waiting, and they all turned to face each other, as Cloud and Tifa explained what had happened, and afterwards, they all prepared to leave.

"The buggy's fixed," informed Barret, having took care of its repairs earlier with help from Cait Sith and Yuffie.

"Then shall we get going?" asked Cloud. 

The others nodded, but they all looked slowly back at the canyon, all of them deep in thought about one person only…

"So this is it, Red XIII…" said Aeris, thoughtfully, with a soft, sad sigh.

"That's just the way it goes sometimes. He sure did come in handy at times, though. I think we're all gonna miss having his help…and his company," said Barret, thoughtfully. 

The others all nodded in agreement, all thinking the very same thing, but they would have to just continue on without him, it seemed...

Cait Sith, Aeris, Barret, Yuffie, Cloud and Tifa all made their way slowly over to the entrance of Cosmo Canyon, and they started to leave, when suddenly, Red XIII ran up to them, calling out to them. Cloud and the others stopped in surprise.

"Wait for me! I'm coming too!" shouted Red XIII, urgently.

Bugenhagen also arrived, and he floated up to Cloud.

"Cloud, everyone, please look after Nanaki for me. To guard the canyon, he must first save the Planet to prove himself, right?" said Bugenhagen.

Cloud nodded, but he still seemed bewildered by Red XIII's sudden change of mind.

"What happened?" asked Cloud, curiously.

"I think I grew up a little. That's what happened!" exclaimed Red XIII, excitedly.

"So, should we get used to calling you Nanaki, then?" asked Cait Sith, curiously. Red XIII shook his head.

"No thank you, Red XIII is just fine. As I said before, Nanaki is the protector of Cosmo Canyon. Red XIII is…one of you," said Red XIII.

"I knew you would choose to come with us," said Tifa, kneeling down and hugging him, and Aeris hugged him too.

"I guess I should have known it myself. We really are a team," said Red XIII, grinning.

"Damn right, we're a team! There ain't no getting off this train we're on! We're AVALANCHE, people! AVALANCHE!" shouted Barret. 

The others all cheered in agreement, and it was clear that all of them, even Cloud, were happy that Red XIII would be staying with them after all.

With the buggy fully fixed, they were all ready now to leave and continue their journey.

Soon, they all left Cosmo Canyon, got back in the buggy, and then they all continued their journey, and travelled to their next destination, not knowing what they would find along the way next, nor prepared for what was to happen…


	63. Nibelheim: Nibelheim Revisited

Chapter 62 - Nibelheim Revisited 

Cloud, and the others travelled in the buggy for a while, soon out of sight of Cosmo Canyon, until they arrived at another town along the road, before several large mountains – it was the town of Nibelheim itself.

To their great surprise, especially Cloud and Tifa's, Nibelheim looked exactly as Cloud and Tifa had described it before Sephiroth had burnt it all down.

In fact, as they stared in shock and disbelief at the town, Nibelheim looked as though it was never even destroyed in the first place.

Tifa's beautiful brown eyes widened in shock and disbelief as she took a few stunned, shaky steps back from the town, looking horrified.

"What!? Impossible! Nibelheim was burnt down, right? The houses, the market, and even the well is here! What's going on, Cloud? They were destroyed! I saw it with my own eyes!" shouted Tifa, shocked and surprised.

"I thought so too, I know. I'll never forget that day for as long as I live," said Cloud, quietly.

"Then why is it all here? My house is still here too," said Tifa, pointing to the house that she lived in while she was living at Nibelheim in her childhood.

"I wonder what's going on here…" said Red XIII, thoughtfully and curiously.

"This is very strange," said Aeris, nodding in agreement.

"Hey, you been lying to us, Cloud!?" shouted Barret.

"No! I'm not lying! I can still remember the intense heat of the flames. The sheer, unbearable pain I felt deep within my heart…" said Cloud, shuddering.

"But I thought you said that Sephiroth torched this whole place to cinders. So why is it still here?" asked Yuffie, bewildered, frowning in puzzlement.

Red XIII, however, seemed to understand everything.

"It's actually quite simple and logical when you think about it. Shinra didn't want anyone to know that their world-famous general (Sephiroth) had gone insane and burned down a town. If people knew he was responsible for this, more and more people would have turned against Shinra in fear. Also, it might have caused information concerning the Jenova Project to be leaked. So they rebuilt Nibelheim and covered the whole incident up. And with their power and money, they could do that quite easily. You read the newspaper, they said that there was an accident in the Reactor and that Sephiroth was killed. And as we all know, that was a lie. Simply a cover-up," explained Red XIII. 

Tifa clenched her fists angrily, and snarled viciously.

"Those bastards! How dare they! It happened! All these people…all these lives! My parents lived and died here…their lives, their memories, their existence! A few million Gil is all it takes to erase everything! Are…are you okay, Cloud?" asked Tifa, turning to Cloud, concerned, but she was still clearly very angry about Nibelheim.

"Yeah, I guess. But it's alright, Tifa. No matter what happens, we know the truth," replied Cloud, reassuringly.

"Are you upset? About finally being here after all this time?" asked Tifa, worried and concerned.

"A little. We have other things to do now, but we'll deal with Shinra, it's a promise. But at the moment, I plan to make Sephiroth pay dearly for everything he took from me," replied Cloud, determined.

"You're not the only one," said Tifa, sternly.

"What?" said Cloud, surprised, staring at Tifa.

"You're not the only one who's lost a lot because of Sephiroth. Nibelheim was my hometown too. And I don't have to remind you about what he did to my father and me and..." said Tifa, but she stopped speaking suddenly.

"And who?" asked Cloud, curiously.

"Never mind. Let's go," replied Tifa, quickly, and she walked along Nibelheim before Cloud could reply.

"Look, let's just find out if Sephiroth is here," said Aeris.

Cloud shrugged and followed Tifa, while the others followed closely behind.

Cloud and the others walked along the fully rebuilt town of Nibelheim. On the way there though, they noticed several men in black capes, their hoods covering their faces and their capes covering their skin, but somehow Cloud pictured them to be ghostly white, rotting away, and there was a large, blood-red number imprinted on each of the black capes like a tattoo. 

Somehow, the black caped men didn't seem to be human at all. Cloud, and the others turned away from them, unnerved by the strange figures, and walked further along Nibelheim. 

Tifa was still staring around Nibelheim in horror.

"I can see the top of the Shinra Mansion itself, and...the well, Cloud. It's the same well," said Tifa, nervously, shaking.

"It can't be the same well, Tifa. As much as we want it all not to have happened, Sephiroth burnt Nibelheim to the ground five years ago. You remember it, I remember it," said Cloud, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. 

Tifa looked up at him and smiled. Cloud continued.

"It looks a lot like the old Nibelheim, yeah, but we know it can't be. So I want to see what's going on. I thought everyone who was here in the town except Zangan and that Shinra soldier were dead. Though I didn't check the whole town before I went after Sephiroth, and I don't remember what happened to the town afterwards," said Cloud.

But Tifa still continued to stare at the rebuilt town of Nibelheim in horror, as she looked around at it.

"Cloud, it's the same truck by the same gate," whispered Tifa, nervously.

"It can't be. Come on, let's go look around. Anyone else want to come?" asked Cloud.

"No way, not me. This place gives me the creeps," said Yuffie, shivering.

"I'll go," said Barret, determinedly, stepping forwards, but Cloud held out a hand in front of him to stop him.

"You need to stay here, Barret. In case anything happens in there, we'll need a leader out here. That would be you," said Cloud, sternly. 

Barret nodded grimly, and made no further argument.

But, after Cloud and Tifa looked around the town, they still had no idea what had happened, since the townspeople seemed to be completely refusing to say anything about the incident, and Cloud and Tifa had never seen them before, so they must have been actors hired by Shinra to help with the cover-up. 

Aeris was staring at Tifa in concern though, starting to get really worried. Usually Tifa was pretty easy-going, but now she seemed on the edge of hysteria. 

Aeris then noticed that the expression on Cloud's face was a mixture of terror and grim determination.

"One of those strange black cloaked figures said…that Sephiroth is in the Shinra Mansion," said Cloud, grimly, shocking everyone.

"He's here? What should we do now? Should we all go in the mansion?" asked Tifa.

"No, this is going to be between me and him. You guys just stay out here," said Cloud. 

But as Cloud started towards the door, Tifa immediately rushed around him and planted herself firmly in his path.

"Do you think you're the only one who has a score to settle with him!? Nibelheim was my hometown too, you know!! And he killed my father!!" snapped Tifa, angrily.

Cloud seemed taken aback, but no less stubborn.

"I know I'm not the only one who wants revenge, but let's face it. Tifa, I..." began Cloud, but then he quickly stopped talking, and avoided her puzzled gaze.

Then after a moment, he spoke again.

"He's too dangerous. I've been trained in SOLDIER, like he has. I know him better," said Cloud.

Aeris grinned in amusement as she saw the uncertain look on Cloud's face, and instantly knew that hadn't been what he was going to say before he hesitated.

            "And do you think that I'm just some kind of amateur? Hey, I studied with Zangan, remember? And not only that, I..." began Tifa, but she also quickly stopped talking, then after a moment's hesitation, she spoke again. Aeris also had realised what she was about to say before she hesitated.

"Zangan also said that I was one of his best students," said Tifa, quickly, avoiding Cloud's gaze.

"And before you even try it, Cloud, we're all going in there too," said Aeris.

"Why should you?" asked Cloud, getting annoyed.

"Why shouldn't we?" said Aeris, evenly, meeting his gaze.

"Alright, fine. Follow me," said Cloud, frustrated.

Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Aeris, Red XIII, Yuffie and Cait Sith all entered the mansion, hoping to find Sephiroth, and yet hoping to stay alive in the process. 

Cloud looked around, and saw the mansion was exactly the same as ever, if a little older and dustier, and very quiet and silent. Unnervingly so.

"God, this mansion is even creeper than that town out there," muttered Yuffie.

They all went up the creaky stairs in the hall, and they entered the closest room to the left of the stairs, with a locked safe in the room.

"Hey, Cloud. Look at this," said Red XIII.

"What did you find, Red XIII?" asked Cloud.

"A piece of paper," replied Red XIII.

"A piece of paper? How that going to help us against Sephiroth?" asked Cait Sith, sceptically.

"It says that there is a man locked in the basement, and the key is locked in this safe. Go on, read it," said Red XIII.

Cloud grabbed the piece of paper from the top of the safe, and he quietly read it out loud for everyone else to hear.

"I must get rid of all those that stand in the way of my research. Even that one from the Turks. I scientifically altered him, and put him to sleep in the basement. If you want to find him, then search the area. But...this is merely a game I thought of. It is not necessary to participate if you don't want to," said Cloud, reading the words on the paper.

Underneath the writing were the safe codes, and a name signed at the bottom of the paper. The name was Hojo.

"We don't have time for this," said Cloud, thrusting the piece of paper aside.

"Cloud, are you really willing to let another person's life be ripped apart by Hojo, just because you don't think you have the time?" asked Aeris.

"She's got a point, Cloud. And after all this time we've been looking for Sephiroth, don't you think maybe he's allowed us to find him now? Maybe he's waiting for us," said Tifa.

"Maybe he's laid a trap for us, and this is it. Maybe he and Hojo are in this together…no, that can't be…he absolutely hates and despises Hojo…I guess you guys are right, we shouldn't just let this go, but still…" said Cloud, uncertainly.

"Looks like we need a combination," said Aeris, looking closely at the safe.

"How about I blast it open?" asked Barret.

"Do it, Barret," replied Cloud, nodding.

Barret fired a round of bullets at the safe with his gun-arm, but had no luck. The safe did not open at all, although there were some big dents in it.

"Damn, I guess the guy in the basement's got to wait until we get a grenade or something," said Barret.

"No need! I've found the combination," said Cait Sith, picking up the sheet of paper.

"Where did you find it?" asked Cloud.

"I looked at the sheet again. It says where all the combos are. I had to solve some riddles though," said Cait Sith.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Cloud, feeling uneasy, sensing something strange around due to his Mako enhanced senses he received from SOLDIER, but he took the sheet of paper anyway, and put his hand on the safe's lock.

He quickly entered the safe codes, 36, 10, 59 and 97. The safe opened, and out of it came (to Cloud's astonishment) a red Materia, and also the key to the basement of the mansion.

But before Cloud could pick either of these items up, a big monster suddenly appeared behind them. It had yellow eyes, and its skin was half orange, half purple. This monster was called the Lost Number and it was very strong. Cloud and the others had no choice but to attack it.

Green light suddenly burst from the floor at the Lost Number's feet as some bolts of lightning appeared out of nowhere and struck Yuffie, shocking her and leaving her with marks across her body as she shrieked in pain.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Yuffie's feet, as she very quickly ran up to the Lost Number before it could react to stop her, and she slashed it hard with a powerful blow using her shuriken, leaving a large, bloody wound straight across the Lost Number's side.

The Lost Number shrieked in pain and rage, as it quickly raised his huge fist, and counter-attacking, it punched Yuffie hard in the face, sending her flying backwards into a wall. Yuffie fell to the floor, and slowly got back up again, bruised and battered and her nose was bleeding.

Green light quickly burst from the ground at Yuffie's feet as she grasped a Materia equipped to her Shuriken, which glowed a bright green at once, and immediately, some magical energy appeared out of nowhere, and fully healed her all of her injuries and bruises.

Green light burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as some bolts of lightning appeared out of nowhere and struck the Lost Number, stunning and dazing it for a while, but it quickly recovered.

The Lost Number raised its large fist, and punched Cloud hard in the face, sending him flying backwards into a wall, and leaving him with bruises and a bloody nose, as he fell to the floor and slowly got back up again, bruised and injured.

Green light burst from the ground at Yuffie's feet a ball of ice with sharp icicles on the end of it appeared out of nowhere and struck the Lost Number hard, leaving it with many scratches and marks.

Green light burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as some bolts of lightning appeared out of nowhere and struck the Lost Number, stunning and dazing it for a long while, and leaving it with many marks across its huge body.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he swung his sword, and he fired a green beam of energy from the end of his sword, straight at the Lost Number, hitting it hard and exploding, leaving the Lost Number with many bloody wounds and scorch marks.

The Lost Number shrieked in great agony, and fell to the floor, barely able to even move at all, let alone get back up, as it was clearly badly injured by Cloud's attack.

Green light burst from the ground at Yuffie's feet as she a wall of fire appeared around the Lost Number, closed around it and vanished, leaving the Lost Number with many burns and marks across its huge, already badly wounded body.

Green light burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as some bolts of lightning appeared out of nowhere, and struck the Lost Number, dazing and stunning it, as well as leaving it with many marks across its body, and very nearly finishing it off.

Suddenly, though, the Lost Number transformed. Its skin became completely orange and red, its monstrous face became brown, and the Lost Number was a bit shorter than before but was now much tougher and its transformation had fully healed its previous wounds, injuries, marks and burns.

Green light suddenly burst from the ground at the Lost Number's feet, as some bolts of lightning appeared out of nowhere, and struck Yuffie hard, causing her to stumble backwards onto the floor and left her with many painful marks and bruises, badly injuring her.

Yuffie quickly got up as green light burst from the ground at her feet as a wall of fire appeared around the Lost Number, closed around it and vanished, leaving the Lost Number with many burns and marks across its body.

Green light suddenly burst from the ground at the Lost Number's feet as some bolts of lightning appeared out of nowhere and struck Tifa hard, causing her to stumble backwards onto the floor, and also leaving her with several painful marks and bruises, injuring her.

Green light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he quickly grasped a Materia equipped to his sword, and immediately a circle of magical energy suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and fully healed himself, Tifa, and Yuffie, and all of their injuries and bruises.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Yuffie's feet, as she very quickly ran up to the Lost Number before it could react, and she slashed at it hard, straight through the middle of it, with a powerful blow using her shuriken, leaving a huge, bloody wound across the Lost Number's side. The Lost Number shrieked in agony and fell to the floor, barely alive.

Red light then suddenly burst from the ground at Tifa's feet, as she ran up to the Lost Number, and she punched it around several times with powerful blows, knocking the Lost Number around a lot, and leaving it with many injuries and bruises across its body.

Then Tifa suddenly performed a somersault, and kicked the Lost Number hard in mid-somersault with both her legs, sending it flying backwards into a wall.

Tifa then quickly did a handstand and spun around several times very quickly, hitting the Lost Number hard with her legs, breaking its huge ribs and breaking its skull, killing it instantly, as it fell with a loud crash to the floor, lifeless. 

Watching in amazement at Tifa's skills, Cloud snapped out of his trance as soon as the Lost Number was defeated, and glanced at the floor, remembering the items that lay there. Cloud quickly grabbed the key, and examined the Summoning Materia in his hands.

Cloud and the others all stared in amazement at the red Summoning Materia. Summon Materia were extremely rare, far more so than green Materia that summoned up Magic, and each Summon Materia was unique to the other, for they each summoned up a different, powerful creature to aid its user.

Still staring transfixed and amazed at the red Summon Materia, Cloud knew that Summon Materia were extremely rare, and were said to be scattered throughout the whole Planet itself, and was amazed that Hojo had this one in his procession, and kept it for who knows how long in this safe instead of keeping it for his own devices, but nevertheless, Cloud welcomed the site of any Summon Materia, as Cloud knew they might well come in handy against Sephiroth. Cloud examined it closely, and read the name that shone on Materia in golden letters.

"It's Odin summon," said Cloud, still staring at it in awe.

"WOW…that's a Summon Materia!! GIMME, GIMME!!" shouted Yuffie, urgently, as she quickly lunged for the glowing red Materia in Cloud's hands. 

Cloud quickly pocketed it though, and Yuffie fell to the floor.

"OW!!" said Yuffie, soon getting back up again, and found that the Summon Materia was no longer in Cloud's hands.

"Sorry, Yuffie. But this is the most powerful Materia we have so far. I think it would be safer if I kept an close eye on it myself," said Cloud.

"FINE!" snapped Yuffie, clearly frustrated as she glared angrily at Cloud, who simply just ignored her in response.

Cloud and the others went down to the basement, using some stairs at the end of another room, on their way to free the man trapped inside the basement. 

But Cloud seriously doubted that someone trapped in a basement for a seemingly long time would still be alive in there right now…


	64. Nibelheim: Meeting Vincent

Chapter 63 - Meeting Vincent 

A few minutes later, Cloud and the others had made it down the secret passage into the basement. They all spotted the basement door and stood in front of it.

"Hey Cloud, I think that this is the door that needs the key," said Red XIII.

Cloud nodded, and walked over to the door, placing the key in. He turned it, and the door swung open.

"Yuck! Cobwebs!" groaned Yuffie, quickly breaking them all up with her Shuriken.

"Cloud, you don't think that there's really a man in there, do you?" asked Tifa.

"I don't know, Tifa. If there is, he might be long dead by now. But there's only one way to find out for sure," replied Cloud, stepping into the room while the others followed him.

The basement turned out to be full of open coffins, nothing else. The only coffin that stood out was a closed, purple coffin in the middle of the room. 

Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Red XIII, Aeris, Barret and Cait Sith walked over to the coffin and they all suddenly heard a low, calm but otherwise emotionless voice inside of it.

"To wake me from the nightmare…" said the voice from inside the coffin. Suddenly, the coffin lid flew open, and a man got out of the coffin.

This man wore a black cape, a red headband, and orange shoes. The front of his black cape was red, and he had red eyes and black hair. He wore an orange glove on his left hand, but his left hand looked more like a claw, than a hand.

This man's name was Vincent Valentine, and he was twenty-seven years old. Vincent rarely spoke and when he did, he would usually say a short, cryptic remark. He had spent thirty years in the coffin and did not age in those years, as Shinra had experimented on him, putting him in an ageless sleep.

"Who is it?" asked Vincent, with a sharp tone to his voice.

He got up from the coffin, and he turned and faced Cloud, and the others, staring at all of them in surprise.

"I've never seen any of you before. You all must leave," said Vincent, sternly.

"You were having a nightmare," said Cloud.

"How bad was your dream?" asked Tifa, curiously.

"A nightmare? My long sleep has given me time to atone. To atone for my sins," said Vincent.

"What are you saying?" asked Cloud, confused.

"I have nothing more to say to strangers. Now get out of here. This dark mansion is merely the beginning of your nightmare," said Vincent.

"No shit," muttered Barret.

"You can say that again," said Cloud, nodding.

"What do you know?" asked Vincent, curiously.

"Like you just said, this mansion is the beginning of a nightmare. But it's not a dream, its for real. Sephiroth has lost his mind. He found the secrets hidden in this mansion. Sephiroth found out his true origins here, and burned down this very town," said Cloud.

"Sephiroth!? You know Sephiroth!?" asked Vincent, surprised and shocked.

"You know Sephiroth?" asked Cloud, also surprised.

"You start explaining first," said Vincent, sternly. 

Cloud explained to Vincent about what happened in Nibelheim five years ago. After he finished explaining, Vincent seemed to understand everything.

"So, Sephiroth discovered, five years ago, that he was the result of an experiment at his birth? And he knows all about the Jenova Project? Sephiroth was missing, but he has recently reappeared? He has taken many lives, and he is now searching for the Promised Land…" said Vincent, thoughtfully.

"Now it's your turn to explain," said Cloud, firmly.

"Sorry, but I cannot speak," said Vincent.

"I'm disappointed," muttered Tifa.

"Hearing your stories has added yet another sin upon me now. More nightmares shall come to me, even more than I previously had. Now, please leave this place," said Vincent, starting to get back in his coffin.

"But that's not fair!" shouted Tifa.

"Life is seldom fair. Now please leave here at once," said Vincent, coldly.

"You can't do that! I just told you our whole story! I'm not allowing you to get away with that for nothing!" snapped Cloud, angrily, kicking the side of the coffin in anger. 

Vincent noticed that they weren't moving, so he got back out of his coffin, and now he was getting annoyed.

"You're still here," said Vincent, angrily.

"Who are you, anyway? At least tell us your name," said Cloud, sharply.

"I was formerly with the Shinra Manufacturing Department in Administrative Research, or otherwise known as the Turks. My name is Vincent Valentine," explained Vincent.

"With the Turks!?" shouted Cloud, shocked, grasping the hilt of his sword.

"I am a former Turk. I have nothing to do with Shinra Incorporated anymore. And what about you? Who are you all?" asked Vincent.

"I'm Barret Wallace, from Avalanche!!!" said Barret.

"I'm Tifa Lockhart, same as Barret," said Tifa.

"I am Nanaki!! Son of the great warrior Seto and defender of Cosmo Canyon. I am also known as Red XIII," said Red XIII.

"I'm Aeris Gainsborough, a flower girl from the slums of Midgar," said Aeris.

"Fortune telling machine, Cait Sith here!" said Cait Sith.

"I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, good to meet ya!!" said Yuffie.

"I'm Cloud Strife, a former first class SOLDIER," replied Cloud. Vincent's dark red, expressionless eyes were suddenly bright with curiosity.

"You were also with Shinra? Then, do you know a woman named Lucrecia?" asked Vincent, curiously.

"Who's that?" asked Cloud. Vincent's curiosity vanished, and he sighed quietly with clear disappointment.

"Lucrecia…the woman who gave birth to Sephiroth at the Jenova Project. Lucrecia is Sephiroth's real mother," explained Vincent, calmly.

Cloud was surprised and shocked, as was everyone else.

"Hey, wait a damn minute!! I thought Jenova was Sephiroth's mom!" said Barret, startled.

Cloud was also bewildered.

"Gave birth? I also thought that Jenova was Sephiroth's mother," said Cloud, puzzled.

"That isn't completely wrong to assume, but it's just a theory. Sephiroth was born from a beautiful lady. That lady was Lucrecia. She was an assistant to Professor Gast of the Jenova Project. Beautiful…Lucrecia…" said Vincent, with a sad sigh.

"A human experiment?" asked Cloud. Vincent nodded.

"There was no way to cancel the experiment. I couldn't save her from death. That was my sin. I let the one I loved, the one I respected most, face the worst. Shortly before Lucrecia's death, she made me promise to take care of her son, to make sure he wouldn't turn out bad, but it looks like I am too late once again. Not only have I failed to protect Lucrecia, but I also failed to protect her son as well," said Vincent, his tone of voice and facial expression weary with sorrow.

"So you punished yourself by sleeping? That's very weird," said Tifa, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't care. Just let me rest in peace," said Vincent, and he got back in the coffin, and he closed the coffin door shut.

"Looks like he's not coming after all, so we've got to go and find Sephiroth," said Cloud. They all nodded.

Cloud and the others soon walked out of the coffin room, and were heading towards the library. Suddenly, Vincent got out of the coffin, and he quickly hurried towards them.

"Wait! If I go with you all, will I meet Hojo of Shinra?" asked Vincent, curiously.

"I don't really know. But we're after both Shinra and Sephiroth. So I guess sooner or later we'll run into Hojo. We need to take down Shinra as well as Sephiroth, and Hojo's a part of them," said Cloud.

            "Alright, I've decided to go with you," said Vincent, firmly.

            "What? You're coming with us?" asked Tifa, uncertainly.

            "As a former Turk, I may be of help to you," said Vincent.

            "Alright then, let's get going," said Cloud, with a nod.

            Cloud and the others, now joined by Vincent, went out of the basement room, and went into the library, which was right next to it. 

"(Sephiroth must be in there,)" thought Cloud.

            "Let's just hurry and kill Sephiroth," said Cloud. 

Vincent shook his head, clearly disagreeing.

            "No, Sephiroth is a victim of Shinra's manipulations. We need to convince him of the truth," protested Vincent.

            "Hey, that's a good idea! Maybe he'll even join us and help us fight against Shinra," said Aeris.

            "NO WAY, it's out of the question! He needs to be killed, I won't work with a murderer!" snapped Cloud.

"Let's just go in and see what Sephiroth DOES plan to do," said Red XIII. 

Vincent sighed and agreed, although reluctantly.

They all then walked along the library, and sure enough, they found Sephiroth himself standing at the other end of the room. Noticing them, Sephiroth turned around and faced them, a dark, haunting expression on his face.


	65. Nibelheim: Calamity From The Skies

Chapter 64 – The Calamity From The Skies 

"Sephiroth!" shouted Cloud, both surprised and alarmed.

            "So, you've finally arrived here at last. Being here brings back memories, doesn't it? Are you going to participate in the Reunion?" asked Sephiroth.

            "I don't even know what this reunion is!" snapped Cloud.

            "Jenova will be at the Reunion. Jenova will join the Reunion, becoming a calamity from the skies," said Sephiroth.

            "Jenova…a calamity from the skies? You mean that she wasn't an Ancient?" asked Cloud, more surprised than ever.

            "I see…I don't think that you have the right to participate after all. I will go North, past Mount Nibel. If you wish to find out what the Reunion is, then follow…" said Sephiroth.

            "Wait, Sephiroth, we need to talk," protested Vincent, stepping in front of Cloud and towards Sephiroth, not worried or afraid at all.

            "Who are you?" asked Sephiroth, very surprised and for a moment taken aback.

            "My name is Vincent Valentine. And I knew your mother," replied Vincent.

            "How could you have known my mother!? My mother is Jenova!!" shouted Sephiroth.

            "No, that is not true. Your mother was a beautiful woman named Lucrecia," said Vincent.

"You're lying!!! I am Sephiroth!!! I will be at the reunion with my real mother, Jenova!!! If you wish to follow, go north past Mount Nibel!!! There I will become one with the Planet!!!" roared Sephiroth, angrily.

This did not affect Vincent at all, and he calmly took another step forwards.

"Your real mother's name is Lucrecia, and I am not lying to you. Are you manly enough to accept the truth or are you just a coward hiding behind Jenova?" questioned Vincent.

Sephiroth suddenly stopped pacing. His cold green eyes glared hard at Vincent in anger, and the air seemed to be ripping all around him.

"What did you say!?" snarled Sephiroth, in a dangerous voice that made everyone but Vincent flinch, as Sephiroth gripped hard on the hilt of his Masumane sword in anger and murderous rage.

"I said, you are a coward. Do you really think that Jenova is the answer to all of your questions? How long do you think you can run? And how far? I'm offering you a chance to see the truth, so accept it if you still have the slightest bit of common sense left in you," said Vincent, sharply, not even the slightest bit afraid or worried.

"Shut up! I have found the truth, I have read the notes right down here, and I know the truth! As a Cetra, I have the right to take back what belongs to me, and my mother!" shouted Sephiroth, angrily.

"Jenova is not an Ancient, and neither are you. It is nothing but a powerful, evil, hideous monster. And it is not your mother," said Vincent.

"If you don't shut up, traitor, then I will have to kill you," said Sephiroth, stepping forwards, with his long, sharp Masumane sword glittering in his hand. 

Vincent fell silent and shook his head in sadness and pity, but not fear.

"Sephiroth, just put your sword down right now, and listen to me," said Vincent, patiently.

            "Reunion? Calamity from the skies?" said Cloud, confused.

Without warning, Sephiroth suddenly threw a green Materia with great, unbelievable force, straight at Cloud. 

The Materia hit Cloud hard in the stomach, and it knocked all the wind out of him, knocking him hard to the hard stone floor, and sending him sliding across it.

"Cloud!" shouted Tifa, rushing to his side in alarm.

            "I'm fine…he just…caught me off guard…that's all," gasped Cloud, slowly getting back up, a hand to his chest.

            Then Sephiroth flew straight past them, and out of the room, and out of the mansion. Cloud got back up, and picked up the Materia that Sephiroth had just thrown at him. It was a Destruct Materia.

The group remained silent as they trudged up the stone stairs that spiralled into the darkness, making it hard to see each individual step they were to take.  As they reached the top of the stairs, arriving at the entrance of the mansion, a screeching noise was suddenly heard.

Barret yelled out in surprise as they were all suddenly bombarded by a hoard of monsters that appeared to be identical to each other. They were all on their four legs, and could leap great distances with the spidery and abnormally elongated limbs that they had.

Three rows of razor sharp teeth vilely decorated their circular mouths, and a single, green-tinted claw decked the tips of their long, vine-like tails. They were all a discoloured black and appeared to have no eyes, yet they could sense anything moving just as well. 

One made a leap for Barret, its jaws opened wide, only to be met by several hordes of bullets as Barret opened fire on it with his gun-arm. It fell to the ground, dead, its body filled with bloody bullet wounds.

"Shit, what the heck are these things?" gasped Cloud as he narrowly avoided one of the creatures' claws. He sliced through it with the sharp blade of his sword, killing it instantly. 

Vincent calmly shot each individual creature that came after him, one after another with his shotgun, and soon there were a pile of the dead creatures bodies that he had killed.

"They seem to be a mutated form of a type of normal creature. Probably another one of Hojo's lab experiments, they seemed to have escaped from his laboratory hidden deep within the library. Be extra careful with them, they're likely to be stronger than most monsters," said Vincent.

Red XIII, Cait Sith and Yuffie did not seem to be having a difficult time handling them, as they were aiding each other, and they were each easily able to kill the creatures in one attack by themselves. Aeris, on the other hand, did seem to have some trouble with them.

Aeris quickly tried casting a bolt of lighting on two of the creatures, only to have them come running toward her, unfazed by it. Helplessly, she swung at them feebly, with her quarterstaff, coming to realize that magic had no effect on them.

She managed to kill one of them by hitting it on the head and breaking its skull with the blunt of her metal staff, but the other successfully launched itself at her body. 

With white claws on one of its limbs, it swept across her mid-section, causing the fabric of her dress to rip horizontally as the creature slashed through her side with its claws.

Aeris cried out in pain as she felt the claws sink deeply into her side. Cloud noticed this with horror, and ran to aid her, slashing his sword at the creature and decapitating it in a millisecond, killing it instantly. 

Aeris crumbled to the ground, her hand grasping the deep wound that was now bleeding. Cloud caught her before she hit the floor, and lifted her up.

Meanwhile, Tifa was fending very well on her own, without anyone's help. She pummelled each creature's horribly deformed body with her fists and kicks, killing each of them. Noticing Aeris' cry for help, she turned briefly to catch a glimpse of what was going on.

The fighting had ceased, and piles of mutilated, dead bodies of many creatures now occupied the room. Everyone seemed to be okay, except Aeris, who now lay in Cloud's arms.  He carried her away, and the rest of the group followed him.  Aeris was still conscious, but was in serious pain. 

Quickly, Cloud got out a potion and gave it to Aeris, which fully healed her wound and injuries. Aeris got back up, as the others walked towards her and Cloud.

            "You're falling behind everyone else, Aeris. All of us except you were able to finish off all our opponents without any problems. That's not very progressive," said Cloud. 

Aeris said nothing and looked away, slightly embarrassed by what had happened. She knew that, unlike the others, she was no trained warrior, and was weaker than them both physically and defensively.

Cloud, Aeris, and the others soon quickly all walked out of the Shinra Mansion, but Sephiroth was nowhere to be seen in Nibelheim, having left without a trace. Remembering what Sephiroth had said, they left Nibelheim, and they went to Mount Nibel, where Sephiroth had said he was flying past.

When they reached the vast, massive mountains of Mount Nibel, they continued their journey, and travelled across the long path through Mount Nibel.

Tifa shuddered as she slowly made her way up the path behind Cloud. The bitterly cold wind that blew in during the winter was rather early this year, snow was already starting to cap the tallest mountain peaks.

Along the path that went around the mountains, even the toughest mountains were slowly dying as the life was sucked out of them to power the town below. Once, the mountains had not looked so dry and ancient.

They were once covered in fresh green grass and entire meadows and valleys full of all sorts of flowers. Never before had she seen life taken from something so quickly. The mountains just looked so…

"Withered. I've always thought they were getting withered too. But there's not much we can do about it now, except stop Shinra, and hope for the best once the Reactors are shut down," said Cloud.

Tifa missed a step in surprise, and barely managed to catch herself before she could fall down on her face. That was the first time Cloud had mentioned much of anything besides Sephiroth for some time now.

What was going on inside that head of his anyway? Tifa wasn't sure about what he was thinking, but she was sure that she'd get dizzy just trying to figure it out.

It seemed as though he was acting stranger and stranger the closer they were getting to Sephiroth, as though, mentally, Cloud was going very far away, and that spooked Tifa, she was really getting worried about him, but when she tried to voice this concern back at Cosmo Canyon, Cloud didn't seem to understand what she had meant, so she simply kept quiet about it now.

"I need a hot bath. And a decent meal, and a change of clothes, and a soft bed," said Aeris, not liking the tough walk through the mountains at all.

"We'll get all that and more once we get around the mountains and arrive at Rocket Town," said Cloud.

Everyone and everything was then quiet for a while as Cloud led them across Mount Nibel, while being occupied in his own thoughts.

Shinra, or Sephiroth, which was worse? They both were, in their own ways. The Shinra simply wanted to rule the world, while Sephiroth seemed to want Shinra destroyed because he wanted to rule the world himself. 

It seemed to be the best explanation of why Sephiroth was determined to stop the Shinra from gaining total control of everything.

Cloud's mind continued to wander as he led the others through the mountains, across the old rope bridge, and through the caves full of Mako towards the old Reactor. 

The huge doors had long been sealed off from the public, but the Reactor itself had been set on full-auto. It would continue to drain the life from the area until it was either shut down or completely destroyed.

The old Reactor didn't hold much meaning to Cloud, anyway. He shoved the memories that had returned back into his head and walked past the Reactor, towards the back of Mt. Nibel above a small cliff. There were five chutes just in front of them.

"Right there. There's the exit," said Tifa, pointing down the cliff, and just ahead of it at the bottom was the way out of Mount Nibel and the way to Rocket Town.

"Then let's get a move on!" replied Barret, impatiently.

"Umm, how do we get down there?" asked Yuffie, staring down the cliff edge nervously.

"Obviously, through these," replied Red XIII, moving towards the five chutes.

"No way!! They're probably all rusty and full of cobwebs!!" complained Yuffie.

"Well, you could always jump," said Cait Sith. 

Yuffie looked down the cliff nervously again, then walked over to one of the chutes, grumbling, and then slid down it to reach the bottom of the cliff. 

Cloud then slid down, followed by the rest of the group. In no time at all, they had all reached the bottom and were standing only a few meters away from the exit.

"All right, let's go," Cloud said.

Sparks and fire suddenly erupted from in front of them as a huge monstrous scorpion suddenly crashed into them, and they all were quickly tossed out onto the ground. 

Quickly getting back up to his feet, Cloud pulled out his sword and stood in front of the monster, where a dangerously close swipe from the scorpion's tail nearly took his head off, but he ducked just in time, while the others got up and stood nearby Cloud, in front of the huge monster.

It had six scorpion-like legs, two scaly tails and its skin was dark blue and yellow. It had a long, pointy horn, red eyes and sharp claws on each of its six feet. This monster was called the Materia Keeper. Cloud and the others realised they had to fight it in order to leave Mount Nibel.

Vincent could also battle it as well, as he used a shotgun as his weapon, which he had also used back when he was a Turk about thirty years ago, and had Materia equipped to slots in the shotgun as well.

Noticing this, Cloud quickly pulled out the red Odin Summon Materia from his pocket and threw it to Vincent, who caught it at once, and looked down at the Summon Materia.

"We found it from the safe along with the basement key that freed you, so I figure it would only be fitting that this should be yours instead," said Cloud.

Vincent nodded in gratitude, and quickly placed the Odin Summon Materia in one of this shotgun slots, and aimed his shotgun at the Materia Keeper as it advanced upon them.

Tifa ran up to the Materia Keeper and punched and kicked it hard, but her blows didn't seem to have any affect on the Materia Keeper's tough skin.

Vincent then summoned Odin, using the summoning Materia that Cloud had found after he opened the safe in the Shinra mansion. All of them watched in startled amazement as Odin suddenly appeared in front of the Materia Keeper. Odin was a knight with yellow skin, red eyes, and two horns on its head.

Odin was on a six-legged white horse, and Odin carried a big, pink spear in one of its hands. Odin suddenly threw the spear up into the sky, and after a moment, the spear fell back down, straight towards the Materia Keeper. The spear hit the Materia Keeper straight in the middle of it and vanished, just as Odin (and his horse) disappeared.

But the spear had left a nasty wound in the Materia Keeper, and it shrieked in agony, as its dark blood dripped from its wound onto the ground. Snapping out of their startled and amazed trance, Cloud and the others quickly reacted again.

Green light burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as a ball of ice with sharp icicles on the end of it appeared out of nowhere and struck the Materia Keeper hard, leaving it with many scratches, bruises and marks.

Tifa ran up to the Materia Keeper and punched and kicked it hard, but once again, her blows still didn't seem to have any affect on the Materia Keeper's tough skin.

Cloud ran up to the Materia Keeper, raised his sword, and slashed it at the Materia Keeper, but the Materia Keeper was able to deflect Cloud's sword with one of its claws, and was therefore not affected.

Vincent quickly raised his shotgun and fired straight at the Materia Keeper before it could react against it. The bullet hit one of the Materia Keeper's red eyes and therefore took its eye out, greatly injuring it. The Materia Keeper shrieked in agony, as its dark blood poured from its ruined eye.

Roaring angrily, the Materia Keeper suddenly lowered his head so its horn was pointed straight at Vincent, then the Materia Keeper charged forwards so the horn was heading straight for Vincent, ready to cause an impact.

Vincent quickly tried to move aside, but he didn't have enough time to react to get fully out of the way, so the Materia Keeper's horn slashed him across the side. Vincent fell to the ground, badly injured.

Tifa ran up to the Materia Keeper, and punched and kicked it hard, but once again, her blows still didn't seem to have any affect on the Materia Keeper's tough skin, even though it was wounded and badly injured by Odin's attack.

The Materia Keeper suddenly charged straight towards Tifa, and it kicked her several times with its legs, breaking her ribs, nose and legs. Tifa screamed in pain, and fell to the ground.

Seeing that Tifa and Vincent were both badly injured and wounded, Cloud decided to act quickly, grasping a Materia equipped to his sword, as green light burst from the ground beneath his feet. A circle of energy suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and fully healed both Tifa and Vincent's injuries and wounds. Both of them quickly got back up.

Tifa ran up to the Materia Keeper and punched and kicked it hard, but once again, her blows still didn't seem to have any affect on the Materia Keeper's tough skin, even though it was wounded and badly injured.

Vincent raised his shotgun and fired straight at the Materia Keeper. The bullet hit the Materia Keeper straight in the other eye and took it out, blinding it. The Materia Keeper shrieked in agony and fell to the ground, very nearly dead and finished.

But suddenly, green light burst from the ground at the Materia Keeper's scorpion-like feet as a big circle of energy appeared out of nowhere, and fully healed all of the Materia Keeper's wounds and injuries. The Materia Keeper instantly got back up, and was no longer injured at all.

Cursing at this, Cloud ran up to the Materia Keeper, raised his sword, and slashed it at the Materia Keeper, but the Materia Keeper was able to deflect Cloud's sword with one of its claws, and was therefore not affected.

Tifa ran up to the Materia Keeper, and punched and kicked it hard, but once again, her blows still didn't seem to have any affect on the Materia Keeper's tough skin.

Vincent raised his shotgun and fired straight at the Materia Keeper. The bullet hit one of the Materia Keeper's scorpion-like legs, and broke it. The Materia Keeper shrieked in pain.

Growling and snarling angrily, the Materia Keeper roared furiously, and its vicious eyes seemed to glow darkly as a small yellow pyramid suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and struck Cloud, Vincent and Tifa hard, knocking them all to the ground and badly injuring and bruising them, and they were only barely able to get back up.

Green light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as a circle of magical energy appeared out of nowhere and fully healed himself, Vincent and Tifa, and all of their injuries and bruises.

Tifa ran up to the Materia Keeper, and punched and kicked it hard, but once again, her blows still didn't seem to have much affect on the Materia Keeper's tough skin.

Vincent quickly raised his shotgun, and fired straight at the Materia Keeper. The bullet hit another one of the Materia Keeper's scorpion-like legs, and broke it at once. The Materia Keeper shrieked in pain, louder and more horrible than ever this time, clearly in agony and murderous rage.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he swung his sword back, and suddenly fired a green beam of energy from the end of his sword, straight at the Materia Keeper, hitting it hard and exploding, leaving the Materia Keeper with many bloody wounds and scorch marks.

The Materia Keeper shrieked in great, terrible agony, and fell to the rocky ground, barely able to even move at all, let alone get back up.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Tifa's feet as she ran up to the Materia Keeper, and she punched it several times with powerful blows, knocking the Materia Keeper around a lot, and leaving it with many injuries and bruises across its whole monstrous body.

Then, Tifa did a somersault, and kicked the Materia Keeper hard in mid-somersault with both her legs, dazing and stunning it for a while, as well as injuring it.

Then, Tifa quickly did a handstand and spun around several times very quickly, hitting the Lost Number hard with her legs, breaking its huge ribs. The Materia Keeper shrieked in pain and unbearable agony.

Cloud ran up to the Materia Keeper, raised his sword, and slashed it at the Materia Keeper, this time slashing across the side of the Materia Keeper, leaving it with a large bloody sword wound at its side.

Roaring angrily, the Materia Keeper suddenly lowered its head so that its horn was pointed straight at Cloud, and then the Materia Keeper charged forwards so the horn was heading straight for Cloud.

Cloud managed to raise his sword in front of him so the horn hit the sword instead of Cloud, but the force of the Materia Keeper's impact was still enough to send Cloud flying backwards onto the ground, hitting it with hard force.

Enraged by this, Tifa quickly ran up to the Materia Keeper, and punched and kicked it very hard, and this time she knocked it around quite a bit, dazing and stunning it for a while, as well as badly bruising it.

Vincent quickly raised his shotgun, and fired straight at the Materia Keeper. The bullet went straight through the middle of the Materia Keeper, and shot straight through its dark, evil heart, leaving a gaping hole in its chest, and killing the Materia Keeper instantly, as it fell, dead, to the ground.

After recovering from this battle, Cloud and the others then soon walked out of the cave, out of Mount Nibel into the fields outside it. Then they travelled across the vast fields until they eventually reached Rocket Town.


	66. Rocket Town: Meeting Cid At Rocket Town

Chapter 65 - Meeting Cid At Rocket Town 

            Cloud and the others continued to travel across the vast fields (having left Mount Nibel), until they finally came to Rocket Town. Rocket Town was a small town.

It was called Rocket Town, because there was a huge, old, abandoned space rocket in the town. The rocket could be seen all over the town, as it was so big. Cloud and the others went into Rocket Town, and they stared at the huge, old, space rocket.

            "It's a huge rusty old rocket. I wonder why they would make something that huge," said Cloud, thoughtfully.

            "Well, now I see why it's called Rocket Town," said Tifa.

            "I don't think that Sephiroth passed through here. After all, the whole town's still standing," said Cloud.

He quickly managed to stop a man who was walking past.

"Hey, just what is with this place, and what's with the rocket?" asked Cloud. The man just shook his head.

"Better ask the Captain about this town. He's the one in charge of it," replied the man.

"Who's the Captain?" asked Cloud, puzzled.

"The Captain was a pilot when Shinra was still interested in their Space Program. He was going to be the world's first man in outer space, but then there was an accident. Ever since then, he's been wasting away his life here dreaming about going into outer space," explained the man.

"Did you see a man in a black cape?" asked Cloud.

"A man in a black cape? Nope, I don't know a thing about it," replied the man, and he walked off.

            Cloud and the others walked up to the main house of the town, which seemed the most likely place where the captain would have been. Cloud knocked on the door a few times, but there was no answer.

"Hey, no one's home, you spiky-headed jerk! So let's just go in, and see what kind of Materia they've got. Come on," said Yuffie, and she then used a hairpin as a lock-pick, and opened the door. Cloud and the others decided to follow her inside.

Nobody was home, but the back door was open, so Cloud and the others went out the back door, into the back garden to see if anyone was there. 

But in the back garden instead was a cool-looking pink and blue plane with the logo 'Tiny Bronco' written on it. This plane seemed to belong to whoever lived in the house. 

They all looked at the Tiny Bronco plane in admiration, all of them suddenly realising that a plane like this would come in great use to help them travel longer distances much faster and therefore they would find Sephiroth in no time at all.

"Wow, would you look at that…" said Barret, in awe.

            "There's a Shinra logo written on it. Tiny Bronco. This is cool," said Cloud.

            "Shinra!? Alright, then! Let's take it!" said Yuffie. 

Cloud frowned at Yuffie, and she turned away, grumbling.

"I wonder if we can just borrow it?" suggested Tifa.

Just then, a woman walked up to Cloud and the others. She had brown hair, and wore white clothes and glasses. Her name was Shera.

            "May I help you?" asked Shera, politely.

            "No, we're just looking at it," replied Cloud.

            "If you would like to use it, then please ask the captain. The captain should be in the rocket. My name is Shera. What are your names? Are you with Shinra?" asked Shera.

            "Hell no! We hate Shinra!" yelled Barret.

            "I'm Cloud," said Cloud.

            "I'm Tifa. Nice to meet you," said Tifa.

            "My name is Vincent. My occupation is…no, just forget it," said Vincent, shaking his head.

            "The name's Cait Sith," said Cait Sith.

            "Hey, I'm Yuffie. Good to meet ya," said Yuffie.

            "And I'm Barret," said Barret.

            "My name is Aeris. And this is Red XIII. He's our….pet" said Aeris, trying hard not to giggle as Red XIII growled at her in annoyance.

            "So you're not with Shinra? I thought that the approval for the reopening of the Space Program had come," said Shera. 

Cloud and the others, especially Barret, were surprised and astonished, wondering if Shinra was coming.

            "President Rufus is scheduled to come here. The captain has been restless all morning," said Shera.

            "Rufus is coming!!?" shouted Cloud, alarmed. 

Shera nodded, and she went back into the house. 

Cloud and the others decided to leave to try and find the captain of the town, so they left the back garden, walked back out of the house, and they went to the rocket, where Shera had said the captain was.

They climbed the stairs leading up to the very top of the rocket. They then walked through a door leading inside the rocket, and they went in.

A man was already in the rocket, just like Shera had said.

This man wore a blue jacket with a white shirt, and he wore goggles above his eyes. He wore brown gloves, brown shoes and he had blond hair and blue eyes.

This man's name was Cid Highwind, and he was thirty-two years old, although he looked about ten or fifteen years older than that. 

Cid carried a handmade spear, which he used for his own weapon. Cid always seemed to have a cigar in his mouth as well, smoking on it regularly every day.

Cid looked both thoroughly surprised and taken aback to see Cloud and the others in the rocket, and he walked over to them, now clearly annoyed and irritated.

            "What the heck are you guys doing here? What the fuck do you want?" asked Cid, sharply.

            "We heard that the captain was here," said Cloud.

            "Captain!? I'm the captain, dumbass! My name is Cid Highwind. Everyone here calls me captain, though. What the hell do ya want?" asked Cid, sharply.

"What's the deal with this rocket?" asked Barret.

            "Yeah, tell me about this rocket," said Cloud, curiously.

Cid's expression quickly changed from one of annoyance to one of eagerness.

            "Wow! Not bad for a young man your age. Alright then, I'll explain it to ya. Did you know that Shinra Incorporated developed a lot of technological gadgets during the meaningless war between them and Wutai? Nowadays, Shinra is a Mako company, but in the old days, it was a weapons manufacture. Well back then, they came up with a new rocket engine. There was so much excitement about the thought of going into outer space. Our dreams got bigger and bigger. They put a major budget into it and they made prototype after prototype. Finally, they completed Shinra number 26. They chose the best pilot in Shinra…no, the best pilot in the whole goddamn world…me, of course," explained Cid, proudly, and then he paused for a moment before continuing, although he seemed to be getting angrier.

"And finally we got to the day of the launch. Everything was going well at first. But because of that damn no-good dumbass Shera, the launch got messed up!! And so, Shinra nixed their outer space plans after that. After they had told me how the future was Space Exploration, and they got all my goddamn hopes up!! Damn them!! Then the Space Program was all over once they had found out that Mako energy was profitable," explained Cid, with a sad sigh.

"Shinra didn't even so much as look at space exploration anymore. My dream was just a financial number for them! Look at this rusted rocket! I was supposed to be the first man in space with this! Everyday, it tilts a little bit more. At this rate, I don't know what will come first. This rocket falling down, or me getting out of here…" said Cid, with another dejected sigh.

            "My last hope now is to talk to President Rufus," said Cid.

            "Is Rufus actually coming?" asked Cloud.

Cid suddenly became excited at these words.

            "Yeah, he sure as damn hell is! It must be news about restarting the Space Program! A young president, that's what we needed! He still has his dreams too," said Cid, excited.

"Can we borrow the Tiny Bronco?" asked Cloud. 

Cid's excited look suddenly turned angry, as he glared sharply at Cloud as though he had just uttered a most disgusting insult indeed.

            "Are you out of your goddamn tiny little mind!? That's my most cherished possession! I can't let you just take it!" snapped Cid, and with that, he ordered them angrily to leave.

            Sensing that there was no use whatsoever in talking it over, Cloud and the others walked out of the rocket, down the rocket's stairs, and they went back into the town. They went back into Cid's house. Shera was still there.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Rufus had just arrived in Rocket Town. Palmer and Tseng were with him, as well as some Shinra troops.

            "I'll go on ahead, sir," said Palmer, cheerfully.

            "Any particular reasons why?" asked Rufus, sharply.

            "I know the captain pretty well! We were pretty good friends up until the disaster of the Shinra No. 26 rocket that you can see in this town," replied Palmer, pointing to the huge rocket.

"Alright, fine, Palmer. Just make sure you remember what you're supposed to be doing," ordered Rufus. 

Palmer nodded, and he skipped joyfully ahead to Cid's house. Rufus watched Palmer skip down the street. He just couldn't understand Palmer sometimes, he was just far too carefree to ever be taken seriously.

            "How did my father ever get by with these executives?" muttered Rufus. Tseng walked up beside him.

            "I believe that your father was more experienced with more incompetent help than you, sir. Your father managed to make use of his executives even with their many flaws. I believe that the reason the executives seem hard to control for you is because they themselves make it hard," replied Tseng.

Rufus turned to face Tseng, curiously.

            "Tseng, you've been in Shinra Incorporated almost longer than anyone else has, right? You probably know everything about the executives, right?" asked Rufus, curiously.

"I was employed by your father for twenty-two years. The only other executive still in Shinra right now that was with Shinra before me is Professor Hojo," replied Tseng.

"And he's ancient," muttered Rufus.

"Yes, we would all like to believe that. As a Turk in service to Shinra, I am in service to the head of the company. That would be you, President Rufus. I know it may not be my place to say such things, as the leader of the Turks, but strength comes almost always in numbers, one person may be powerful, but will easily fall alone," said Tseng.

"But aren't you a friend of the Ancient, Aeris Gainsborough?" asked Rufus.

"I may have once been friends with Aeris, but I am in no way affiliated to AVALANCHE. I will be on the side of the Shinra for as long as I live, no matter how much it hurts to be against Aeris," said Tseng.

"This must be very hard for you then. Your fierce loyalty is…" muttered Rufus, although his face showed no emotion whatsoever.

"Think nothing of it, sir. We must go now," said Tseng, and they both walked to Cid's house after Palmer.

****************************************************************


	67. Rocket Town: Sending A Dream Into The Un...

Chapter 66 - Sending A Dream Into The Universe 

Meanwhile, Cloud and the others had just entered Cid's house again. Shera was standing in the front room, waiting for them, and she turned to face them, curious.

"Um…excuse me, Cloud? Did the captain say anything?" asked Shera, curiously.

            "Not much," replied Cloud, sarcastically.

            "Oh…?" said Shera, with a sad, dejected sigh. 

Just then, Cid came into the room. He didn't seem surprised or angry at all to see Cloud and the others in his house, but instead he looked angrily at Shera, and glared hard at her, his fists clenched.

            "Shera! Just what the heck are ya anyway, blind or something!? We've got guests!! Go get them some tea!!" roared Cid, angrily.

            "…I-I'm…s-sorry…" stammered Shera, nervously, looking rather shaky. Shera quickly and frantically walked over to the kitchen to make some tea.

            "No really, don't mind us," said Cloud, quickly. 

Cid only glared at him, however.

            "Shut the hell up!! Sit your damn ass down in that chair, and drink your goddamn tea!!" snapped Cid, angrily. 

He yelled in anger and frustration, as he suddenly slammed his fist down hard on the table with such force that it left a noticeable mark on its wooden surface.

            "Damn it, I'm pissed!! Shera! I'll be in the backyard tuning up the Tiny Bronco! And be sure to serve them some goddamn tea! Alright!?" snapped Cid, angrily.

            Fuming, Cid stormed out through the back door, into the back garden, slamming the back door behind him. Shera hadn't spoken a word, and she didn't seem to be angry with Cid at all, her expression held only sorrow. Tifa looked at her, and sighed.

            "Poor Shera…" said Tifa, quietly, not knowing what else to say, both speechless and appalled by Cid's behaviour.

"I'm sorry. It's all our fault," said Cloud, apologetically.

Shera shook her head, and sighed sadly.

            "No…it's not your fault at all. He's always like this," said Shera, sadly. 

Cloud and the others all stared at her, astonished.

            "It's amazing that you can stand to live with him if he's like this to you all the time," said Vincent, thoughtfully.

            "Is it really always like this? Just why is Cid so hard on you? Why?" asked Tifa, curiously.

            "No, please don't judge him…it's really not his fault. It's all because of my stupid mistake. I was the one who destroyed his dream…" said Shera, sadly.

            "What happened?" asked Cloud, curiously, and the others were all listening intently too.

            "It happened on the day of the launch. I was tuning the engines of the rocket on that day," said Shera, her mind flashing back to that scene, as she told it to Cloud and the others.

****************************************************************

Shera was busy working on the engines of the rocket, while Cid was watching her, laughing.

_            "Hey, come on now, get your ass in gear! You work like a snail! Even the moon would get tired waiting around for your ass!" said Cid, laughing._

_            "I…I'm sorry…" stammered Shera, nervously._

_            "Just don't spend so much time checking that goddamn oxygen tank! Shera, being careful is good, but it won't do you any good, no matter how many times you check that damn oxygen tank all the damn time! That thing wouldn't break even if hell froze over," said Cid, sternly._

_            "But…" stammered Shera, anxiously._

_            "No buts, Shera!! I know you're not stupid, so just be more efficient from now on!" snapped Cid, sharply._

_"I'm…I'm sorry…" stammered Shera, but she didn't move, as Cid left the engine section, not noticing Shera hadn't followed him, as he was occupied with his own excited thoughts._

_Cid left the engine room, and he walked up to the main piloting controls of the rocket. Three Shinra space workers were standing in the same room._

_            "Captain, our dreams are finally coming true," said the first man, proudly._

            _"We are so proud to be a part of the launch of Shinra number 26," said the second man._

_            "Captain, preparations are complete. All that's left is to lift off," said the third man. Cid laughed happily._

_            "Yeah! Just leave it all to me!" said Cid, sitting down in the pilot chair, and moving to the main controls._

_            "Alright, Captain. Fly our dreams into outer space!" said all the three men, at the same time._

_            "Thanks, guys!" said Cid, happily._

_            "We'll be praying for your safety, Captain," said one man._

_Cid's attention soon switched to the controls, as he prepared to lift off._

_            "Instrument panels are all clear. Shinra number 26 is ready for launch," said Cid. _

_He pressed the button on the control system to lift off. A message appeared all around the rocket._

_            "Engine pressure is rising. Shinra number 26 has 3 minutes until launch. Beginning countdown," said the message. Cid sighed happily._

            _"Finally…After years and years of research and endless hopes my whole life, my dream is finally coming true at last," said Cid, proudly. _

_But then, suddenly without warning, an alarm went off and red lights flashed all around the rocket._

_            "What the…!? What the hell's happened!?" shouted Cid, alarmed, and jumping up from his seat._

_Palmer suddenly spoke to Cid on the intercom of the rocket, sounding alarmed and frantic._

_            "Cid! We have an emergency situation! A mechanic is still in the engine section of the rocket!" shouted Palmer, frantically._

_            "WHAT!? GODDAMN IT!! Who is the little asshole!?" shouted Cid, enraged._

_            "I don't know, Cid. But I'll try to contact the guy. Activating the intercom in the engine section," said Palmer. _

_The intercom in the engine room was activated, and Cid quickly spoke to the person in the engine room using the intercom._

_            "Hey, goddamn it!! Who the hell is still in there!?" shouted Cid, angrily. The mechanic looked up._

_            "It's me, Shera. Don't mind me, Captain. Just go ahead with the launch," said Shera, calmly._

_            "SHERA!? What the hell are you still doing in there!?" shouted Cid, angrily._

            _"I was still concerned, Captain. The results of the oxygen tank test were still not satisfactory enough," said Shera, shaking her head._

_            "You stupid little bitch!! It's gonna get so hot in there that there ain't gonna be shit left in that engine room when we blast off! You're gonna be burnt to a crisp! You're gonna die! You do know that, don't you!?" snapped Cid, angrily._

_            "I don't mind. If I can just fix this oxygen tank, then the launch will be a success. I'm almost done," said Shera._

_            "Almost done!? You're gonna to die unless you get out of there NOW!!!" yelled Cid. _

_Palmer interrupted him on the intercom._

_            "Cid, we must start the countdown. We won't make it if we don't start it right now!" said Palmer._

_            "Starting engine!" said another voice._

_            "Hey, wait a damn minute! Shera's still in there!" shouted Cid, urgently, alarmed._

"What are you going to do, Cid? If we cancel now, then it will be another six months until the next launch, or it might even be more than that!" protested Palmer, nervously.

_            "Goddamn it, Shera! Do you want to make me into a murderer!?" screamed Cid, angrily, into the intercom._

_            "Captain, tank number 7 is complete. Once I complete tank number 8, it will be all clear," said Shera, calmly._

_            "Come on, Shera, hurry up, get moving! You're going to die unless you leave there right NOW!!!" shouted Cid, urgently._

_A message appeared all around the rocket._

_            "30 seconds left remaining until ignition. Beginning countdown…" said the message._

_            "Cid, just forget about her! If we don't lift off now, we won't make it in time!" shouted Palmer._

_            "W-What…what am I supposed to do…?" said Cid, shakily._

_A message appeared all around the rocket._

_            "15 seconds until ignition. Infernal temperature is rising," said the message._

            _"Oh man…the moon…outer space…my dreams…" said Cid, sadly. A message appeared all around the rocket._

_            "Countdown is complete! Ready for lift off!" said the message. The engines started and the rocket started to move off the ground._

_            "SHIT!!!!" roared Cid, and he quickly slammed his fist on a button on the main controls. _

_At this, the rocket suddenly stopped moving, and landed back on the ground, tilting slightly on its side, and then it stopped. But the rocket was now unable to fly, ever again. Shera finished explaining the story to Cloud and the others…_

****************************************************************__

"Cid pushed the Emergency Engine Shut Down button on the controls, aborting the mission, abandoning his great dream to save my life. After that, the Space Program was cut back, and the launch was cancelled. It's all my fault that his dream was destroyed. That's why…it's alright. I don't care what bad things the Captain says to me or how bad he treats me. I'll live my life for him," said Shera, determinedly.

There was silence, as Cloud and the others really didn't know what to say. Just then, Cid came into the room, oblivious to their meaningful silence, and he was looking slightly calmer now, but he was still glaring at Shera.

"Shera! You still haven't served them tea!" shouted Cid.

            "I-I'm…s-sorry…" stammered Shera, nervously.

Cid sat down on a chair at the kitchen table, and he turned to face Cloud and the others.

            "Hurry up and sit down! Well?! Are you gonna take a goddamn seat or not!? Or ain't my goddamn hospitality good enough for ya!? Damn it! Shinra are late! Where is Rufus?" shouted Cid, impatiently.

            Just then, Palmer suddenly entered through the front door, and came straight into the room. Because Palmer was the head of the Shinra Space Department, Palmer had also originally been Cid's boss, and therefore, he had once known him very well.

            "Hey, Cid! Long time, no see! So how have you been?" asked Palmer.

            "Well, if it ain't fat man, Palmer! How long were you figuring on keeping me waiting, huh?" asked Cid, his anger vanishing in an instant, a look of eagerness now on his face.

            "Hey, don't call me fat!" complained Palmer, although it was clear that Palmer wasn't angry, and he was just being his usual cheerful self. Cid ran over to Palmer, clearly excited.

            "So? When is the space program gonna start up again? Is the President here with you?" asked Cid, excited.

            "Hey, I don't know when it's going to start up. President Rufus is right outside. Why don't you go and ask him?" suggested Palmer, shrugging.

Cid nodded, and he went outside to find Rufus. Palmer walked over to Shera. He didn't seem to remember or notice Cloud or any of the others, even though some of them had threatened him in the Shinra Headquarters, after Sephiroth had ruthlessly murdered President Shinra.

            "Hey, tea! Can I have some too, please? With lots of sugar and honey? Oh, and don't forget the lard! I like lots of lard in my tea," said Palmer.

This disgusted Cloud and the others, and Shera also. Not noticing their grimaces, Palmer sat down on a chair at the kitchen table, and he turned and faced Cloud, as Shera began to make the strange cup of tea.

"Hey, have we met somewhere before?" asked Palmer, looking puzzled.

Cloud didn't answer, and he and the others walked out of Cid's house. They saw Cid and Rufus standing just outside the house, and they all made sure to hide so that Rufus didn't see them, but they still listened in from behind a large bush beside the house, peeking through it. Rufus started to speak first.

            "Now then, let's get down to business," said Rufus, coolly.

            "What are your plans for restarting the Space Program?" asked Cid, curiously, quivering in excitement.

            "Nothing," replied Rufus, calmly.

There was a long, very silent pause.

            "NOTHING!!!? Then why the fuck are you here!?" roared Cid, angrily, now shaking with rage. 

Rufus just stared calmly and coldly at Cid, not affected by his words or anger at all.

            "I didn't come here for the Space Program. You've been misinformed. The Space Program isn't going to be restarted. It was a waste of time, money and resources. Those who started the program were fools to think that the Promised Land lies in space," said Rufus, coldly.

            "What the…!? To hell with all your damn Promised Land crap! What the hell do you mean you're not going to restart the Space Program!? You mean to tell me that you got me all excited for nothing!? Then what the hell did you come here for!? Are you telling me to just forget about what I worked so hard for my whole damn life!? Damn you, Rufus, you bastard!" shouted Cid, angrily, and loudly, shaking with rage.

"You will address me as President Rufus, Mr Highwind. And I came here because I want to borrow the Tiny Bronco. We're going after Sephiroth. But it seems like we've been heading in the wrong direction. Now we think we know where he's heading. But we have to cross the ocean. That's why we need your plane," explained Rufus, coolly.

            "Like hell you will! First the airship, then the rocket, and now the Tiny Bronco! Shinra took outer space away from me, and now you want to take the sky away from me, too!?" snapped Cid, angrily, and loudly.

            "You seem to be forgetting, Mr Highwind, that it was because of Shinra Incorporated that you were able to fly in the first place," said Rufus, coldly.

            "WHAT!? My plane is going nowhere!! You're not laying a finger on her, you bastard!" shouted Cid. 

Shera came out of the house, and she walked up to Cloud.

            "Excuse me, Cloud, all of you. Please come this way," said Shera, urgently.

Cloud, Vincent and Aeris quickly followed Shera back into the house, while Barret, Tifa, Yuffie, Red XIII and Cait Sith decided to stay and keep a look out, and they kept watching Rufus and Cid at a distance, and making sure they were hidden so they weren't seen.

Meanwhile, Cid Highwind had gone absolutely livid in an overwhelming rage, and began cursing and swearing angrily at Rufus Shinra, non-stop, who stood there as if bored, although he was somewhat startled. 

Under cover of the sudden distraction, Cloud, Vincent and Aeris had managed to duck back into the house without being seen or noticed, and Tifa breathed a sigh of relief as they made it in the house safely. Yuffie, however, was busy gaping in astonishment at Cid's harsh, foul language.

"Wow…even Barret could give that guy some lessons on how to lighten up," said Yuffie.

"Yeah, Cid does have some nerve, talking that way to Rufus Shinra," said Tifa. Cait Sith looked thoughtful.

"If its Cid's plane that they're after, then he would be pretty angry about that, since he already mentioned that Shinra had already took his airship and the rocket. After all, Captain Cid Highwind was Shinra's top pilot, and he was chosen to fly their rocket into space, but Shinra were the ones who cancelled the Space Program," said Cait Sith. Barret nodded.

"Yeah, it all makes sense. So is that Cid guy on our side or theirs, do you think? I'm not so sure that I trust the guy, since he did work for Shinra," said Barret.

"Well, he sure doesn't seem to be on Shinra's side to me from where I'm standing," said Yuffie, shrugging, as Cid was still swearing consistently at Rufus.

"It sounds like something's going on from behind the house," said Red XIII, suddenly.

They all went silent, listening. Indeed, the faint hum of a motor could be heard. Cid and Rufus should have been able to hear it too, but they both seemed to be too busy arguing with each other to pay it any attention to the noise.

"I'll go check it out!" said Yuffie, cheerfully, bouncing off through the hedge. 

Somehow, she managed to make no noise at all, for which they were all grateful. Still, Tifa made a grab for her arm, but she was too late as Yuffie was already long gone.

"Yuffie! She could be walking right into trouble back there…" said Tifa, worried. Barret growled.

"If that damn kid gives us away..." snarled Barret, angrily, his fist clenched. Red XIII shook his head.

"She'll be fine. You heard how little noise she made just now, and how quick she is. I almost lost sight of her a couple of times, just walking around this town. No one will see her unless she wants to be seen. She's very sneaky," said Red XIII.

Everyone else nodded, looking reassured.

****************************************************************

            Meanwhile, Cloud, Vincent and Aeris stood in Cid's house with Shera, unaware of what was going on outside.

"You said earlier that you wanted to use the Tiny Bronco, right? I know that the Captain would be much happier if the Tiny Bronco was in your possession and not Shinra's. I believe that Palmer is going to take it for Shinra. Why don't you go and talk to him?" said Shera.

"Thanks, Shera," replied Cloud. Shera smiled and nodded.

            Cloud, Vincent and Aeris went out the back door, and into the back garden. Palmer was standing nearby the Tiny Bronco, and he was muttering things to himself, looking unusually irritated for once.

"Why do I have to do this? Stealing like some common thief? I'm the head of the Shinra Space Department for goodness sake...now, just how do you start this thing up? Damn it, I should know how to do this…" muttered Palmer.

Cloud, Vincent and Aeris walked up to Palmer. Noticing them, Palmer spun around and faced them, and he seemed very surprised and taken aback to see them there.

"We'll be taking the Tiny Bronco," said Cloud, icily.

"I'm sure I've seen you somewhere before…I know, I know now! In the Shinra Headquarters! W-When the P-President was killed! S-Security!" shouted Palmer, urgently, clearly terrified now, shaking with terror.

Suddenly though, the Tiny Bronco started to move by itself, as though Palmer had accidentally left the handbrake on while he had been trying to get it going, and the sound of the plane's motor flared to life.

The Tiny Bronco moved straight towards Palmer, its propellers headed straight for him. Palmer managed to duck and roll on the grass, away the plane just in time before it could slice his head off. 

But just as he got up, Aeris suddenly ran towards him, raised her quarterstaff, and swung it at him, hitting Palmer hard in the face, breaking his nose and sending him flying into the wall of the house, hitting it hard. 

Palmer just managed to get back up, blood pouring from his ruined nose, and he quickly ran away from Cloud, Vincent and Aeris in terror, and right out onto the road, when suddenly a Shinra truck came hurtling out of nowhere, and rammed Palmer hard, sending him flying to the ground. Palmer bounced off the ground a few times, and then he lay still and motionless.

The Shinra truck quickly stopped, screeching to a halt, and Palmer still laid on the ground, unconscious, wounded and badly injured, but not quite dead.

Cloud quickly jumped into the cockpit of the Tiny Bronco, while Vincent held tightly onto the right wing of the plane, and Aeris held tightly onto the left wing of the plane.

"It's not going to stop," observed Vincent, grimly.

"Cloud, the plane's already started, and I don't know what to do to stop it," said Aeris, worried.

"Forget it, let's just go!" said Cloud.

They took off in the Tiny Bronco and flew in the air, passed the rocket, but Cloud had never flown a plane before and therefore did not know how to control it properly, so they were flying around it circles around the rocket, with Vincent and Aeris barely able to hold onto the wings of the Tiny Bronco. Cid and Rufus then heard the noise of the Tiny Bronco in the air.

"That sure sounds a hell of a lot like my Tiny Bronco. Ain't that a damn coincidence?" said Cid, coldly.

"Maybe," said Rufus, shrugging indifferently.

"Damn you, Rufus! Where the hell do you get off, trying to steal my plane!?" snapped Cid, angrily. 

Rufus was about to reply, when suddenly, he spotted the Tiny Bronco in the air, and he spotted Cloud in the cockpit, and his eyes widened in surprise before he snarled with anger.

"That's not Palmer! Damn it, I should have never trusted him to get the job done!" shouted Rufus, angrily, frustrated.

"Ah ha! So you admit that you DID try to steal the Tiny Bronco! H-HOLY SHIT!!" exclaimed Cid, as he suddenly noticed the Tiny Bronco in the air as well, with Cloud behind the cockpit, and Vincent and Aeris hanging on for dear life at the wings.

The Tiny Bronco flew near the ground as it passed Cid, Rufus and Tseng. Shinra soldiers started firing after the Tiny Bronco, while Cid quickly ran after it before anyone else could stop him, and he just barely managed to grab onto the back wing of the Tiny Bronco. 

Suddenly, Rufus took out his shotgun and (with amazing accuracy and skill) fired at the Tiny Bronco. His shot hit the main part of the back wing of the plane, and the Tiny Bronco started to fall, just as they were passing over land and going out to sea.

"Shit! The tail's been hit!" shouted Cid, alarmed, who was hanging onto it, and had only just avoided been shot by Rufus.

"Emergency landing!" warned Cloud, glancing at Vincent and Aeris, who were still tightly holding onto the wings.

"Hold on to your drawers, and don't piss in them!" shouted Cid, as the plane began to fall. 

The Tiny Bronco abruptly crashed down into the water with a trail of smoke at the back of it, but it wasn't a rough landing.

The Tiny Bronco floated on the water, close to the shore, while Cloud, Cid, Vincent and Aeris sat on the top of it. They had managed to escape from Shinra, but Cid was looking across at the horizon at the sea, with a mixture of sadness and disappointment in his face.

"Goddamn Shinra. The Tiny Bronco won't fly anymore…" said Cid, sadly.

"Can we still use it as a boat?" asked Cloud, curiously. Cid glared furiously at him, and he exploded with rage once again.

"Just do whatever the hell you want with it!! Do whatever the fuck you like!! I don't care!! I don't give a damn anymore!!" snapped Cid, angrily. Then the fury drained out of him, and he looked miserably out at the ocean once again.

"Cid, are you okay?" asked Cloud, concerned.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, I guess…" replied Cid, miserably.

"Cid, what are you going to do now?" asked Cloud.

"I don't know…I'm history with Shinra…and I've given up on the town…I really couldn't care less about running it…" replied Cid, with a dejected sigh.

"What about your wife? What about Shera?" asked Cloud.

Cid suddenly laughed out loud at Cloud, and it was a bark of a laugh filled with scorn.

"Wife!? Don't make me laugh, you stupid dumb ass!! Just thinking about marrying HER gives me the chills!" snapped Cid, furiously.

Cid then steadily calmed down again, and he looked around at them curiously.

"What are you guys gonna do now, anyways?" asked Cid.

"We're going after a man named Sephiroth. We'll have to take care of Rufus Shinra someday too," said Cloud, suddenly thinking of how useful it would be if Cid joined their group.

"I don't know about that but…ah hell, what the heck! I've got nowhere else to go anyways! Sign me up!" shouted Cid.

"How about it, everyone?" said Cloud, turning to face Vincent and Aeris, curiously. He wanted Cid to join too but he also needed to ask the others what they thought about it.

"Just do whatever you like," replied Vincent, shrugging, as though he did not care at all.

"Yeah, why not? The more, the merrier," said Aeris, smiling.

"Glad to be aboard, numbskulls!" shouted Cid.

"Numbskulls?" asked Cloud, confused and bewildered.

"Yeah, anyone stupid enough to go up against Shinra nowadays has gotta be a numbskull! I like it! So where are we headed? Rufus told me that he was going after Sephiroth, towards the Temple of the Ancients," said Cid. 

Aeris spun around to face Cid in surprise, her face suddenly bright with curiosity and excitement, while Cloud also stared at Cid in astonishment.

"Really!? Where is it? The Temple of the Ancients?" asked Cloud, curiously, while Aeris listened eagerly, but Vincent, on the other hand, didn't seem to be too bothered or interested at all.

"I don't know…Rufus was telling me that he was heading in the wrong direction. So maybe it's the other way," said Cid, shrugging.

"Let's just head for land, and get some more information about it. The Temple of the Ancients. That name bothers me…" said Cloud, with a shudder, although he wasn't quite sure why, but there was something strangely ominous about it…

Cloud, Cid, Vincent and Aeris soon went back onto dry land, using the Tiny Bronco as a boat. They got off it, and they wondered where to head to next, and decided to wait for a while for the others.

Cloud and Aeris began chatting to each other, Cid smoked on his cigar, while trying to fix some parts of the Tiny Bronco using some tools he still had with him, and Vincent just stood up the whole time, staring across the land in front of them and the ocean beyond, but in reality, he was deep in his own thoughts.

Very soon, Tifa, Barret, Yuffie, Red XIII and Cait Sith had caught got up with them in no time and with no trouble.

"Alright, now let's get going before Shinra find us. Both Rufus and Tseng are still out there somewhere, and they could be trouble. Palmer is going to be knocked out and really injured for ages, though, so he won't have to worry about him for quite a while," said Cloud.

"Yeah, I wonder what kind of idiot would run over one of his own bosses?" said Barret, scornfully.

Yuffie suddenly snorted with laughter.

"Not likely! See, it wasn't anyone from Shinra in that truck, because I...well I...I was trying to block Palmer's getaway with that Shinra truck, and instead I…I sort of...hit him," said Yuffie, giggling slightly.

"You what?!" shouted Tifa, astonished. Everyone was staring at Yuffie in shock.

"I sort of knocked out the truck's driver with one blow, got behind the wheel, and tried to move it, only I'm not a real good driver. I hit the gas a little harder than I should have..." explained Yuffie, sheepishly.

"You ran over Palmer?" asked Red XIII, in disbelief.

"No, I didn't run over him! God, I just hit him, and...I think he'll be okay, he just bounced," said Yuffie, giggling even more.

Some of them groaned, while others looked disgusted.

"Just as well. Palmer's not exactly a dangerous fellow, now is he? But we better get going since Rufus is nearby here, and he really is a big threat," said Cait Sith, anxiously.


	68. Wutai: The Materia Thief

Chapter 67 - The Materia Thief 

Cloud and the others were travelling along the ocean just nearby the shore trying to find the Temple of the Ancients or a clue that might help them find out more about it, but they were having no luck. 

Suddenly, Yuffie sat back up and she looked around, and judging by the sudden look of recognition emerging on her face, she seemed to know exactly where they were.

            "Head west," muttered Yuffie, as they quickly made their way back to the shore.

            "West? Why west?" asked Cloud, confused and bewildered.

            "Are we going to stop moving or not? My Tiny Bronco's getting water in her engine," complained Cid, sharply.

            "Just go west, okay!? Thank you all for finally paying attention. Now just head west until you see a mountain range, then move in on the shores. I'll direct you to a town I know there," explained Yuffie, calmly.

            "I have to agree with Yuffie's suggestion. It seems like the most logical course of action. We could rest and buy supplies," said Red XIII.

            "Good idea. Okay then, Yuffie. We'll go west. Maybe someone can help us fix the Tiny Bronco and we can get back on track. We might find out something useful there too," replied Cloud, thoughtfully.

            "We'll need to leave the Tiny Bronco at a shore nearby, otherwise we can't get to it on land," said Cid.

            Yuffie smirked triumphantly, although Vincent, Barret and Cid were looking at her very suspiciously, as though they thought she was up to something. 

But they didn't say a word, and the whole group travelled in the Tiny Bronco going west to Yuffie's hometown. They got off the Tiny Bronco onto land once they reached a beach nearby Wutai, and they headed towards Wutai, which happened to be Yuffie's hometown.

            "Hey, wait a minute," said Yuffie, quickly jumping out in front of them all.

            "What the hell is it!? Shouting out and jumping in front of me like that, all of a sudden! What the hell's your problem!?" snapped Cid, angrily.

            "I know this area pretty well, you know. It gets pretty tough past here. Better get ready," warned Yuffie. Cid glared at her.

            "Hey, are you serious!? If you're trying to con us, you won't get away with it!!" snapped Cid, more angry than ever and also getting very suspicious.

            "No, it's REALLY tough," insisted Yuffie.

            "What are you up to?" asked Vincent, sharply.

            "There they are! Get them!" shouted a voice. 

Two Shinra Soldiers suddenly ran up to them.

            "Shinra soldiers!" shouted Vincent.

            "It's an ambush!" shouted Tifa.

            "Hey, that's not them! These are the other guys from what we heard before! They're those AVALANCHE guys!" shouted a Shinra soldier.

            "Yuffie! You've sure got some nerve, kid!" snapped Cid, angrily. Cid was looking very hard and nastily at Yuffie. 

A sudden realisation hit Cloud. Yuffie must have been the Shinra spy all along. The others seemed to have realised the same thing.

            "Yuffie! Did you lead them to us!?" snapped Cloud, angrily.

Yuffie looked both alarmed and terrified.

            "No! I…I didn't know! I had nothing to do with this one!" insisted Yuffie, desperately.

            "What do you mean, this one!? So, you were planning some crooked scam the whole time!!" roared Cid, angrily and glaring hard at her.

            "N-No, umm…" said Yuffie, clearly getting very nervous.

            "What should we do now?" asked a Shinra soldier.

            "Get them! Capture them, and ask questions later!" shouted the other Shinra soldier. 

The Shinra soldiers attacked Cloud and the others, while Yuffie was running away from them, and judging by the direction she was running, she was heading to Wutai.

            Cid quickly raised his spear, and he stabbed one of the Shinra soldiers with the sharp point of it, killing the Shinra soldier instantly. 

Then Cid quickly spun around, and quickly stabbed the other Shinra soldier with the pointy end of his spear as well, killing him instantly.

Cid quickly reached for his pocket to get a tissue out to wipe the blood off his spear, and then he suddenly noticed and realised something else.

            "What the damn hell's going on!? I knew I was missing something here! All of my Materia's gone!!" shouted Cid. 

The others all searched for their Materia, and then nodded in agreement, indicating that their Materia was also missing.

            "That damn little bitch!! Taking me for a fool!! No doubt about it! Yuffie was after all our Materia right from the damn start!! We're going to Wutai, right now! Don't be dragging your asses! We're going there right now! That rotten little bitch is history!!" roared Cid, very angrily.

"That lying thief!!" bellowed Barret, angrily, enraged.

"Calm down, both of you," said Red XIII, sharply and calmly.

"Everyone check your weapons and armour. If we're lucky, someone will still have some Materia left," said Cloud.

"Shit! That little bitch!!" shouted Cid.

"No one has any Materia left?" asked Cloud. 

Everyone shook their heads.

"She should have been scared of ME!!" shouted Barret, waving his gun-arm about menacingly.

"She must have led us to Wutai so that she could steal our Materia, and run home with it," said Aeris, thoughtfully, who alone didn't look angry or furious, but rather disappointed.

"Then let's go give her a severe beating, Barret-style!!!" shouted Barret, firing some bullets into the air. 

Aeris frowned at him, clearly not wanting Yuffie to get hurt, even for stealing their Materia.

"It'll be quite a walk to Wutai all the way from here. We should start moving right away," said Vincent.

            Cloud and the others all agreed to go to Wutai to find Yuffie there, and they all headed to Wutai, each of them with no Materia left, and intending to get them all back.

Cloud and the others travelled across the vast plains, and eventually arrived at Wutai, and they entered the town. They instantly spotted Yuffie. Yuffie saw them, and she looked surprised, alarmed and terrified.

"This must be Wutai," observed Tifa, calmly, as she looked coldly at Yuffie.

"Yuffie!!! Get over here, you rotten little thief!!!" roared Barret, angrily, seething with rage.

"Yikes!!" shouted Yuffie, alarmed, and she quickly ran off.

"Nice going, shit-head!! We wanna catch the bitch, not scare her off!!" snapped Cid. 

Barret glared back at him, but Aeris stepped between them before a fight could break out.

"That's enough, both of you! Okay, now let's just check inside that bar, the Turtle's Paradise," said Aeris, as she headed calmly into it.

Cloud and the others ran after her, and they went into a bar called Turtle Paradise. They didn't find Yuffie there, but instead (to their startled amazement) they found Reno, Elena and Rude sitting at a table in the bar. 

Cloud and the others walked over to Reno, Elena and Rude, readying their weapons in case of a fight. Noticing them, Elena turned to face Cloud, looking suddenly shocked.

"Oh shit," muttered Barret, cursing under his breath.

"It's the Turks," said Vincent, surprised. 

Having been a Turk himself long ago, Vincent recognized those uniforms anywhere, even at one glance.

            "What!? It's…it's them!! You!! How did you get here!?" asked Elena, sharply, glaring at Cloud. 

She quickly got up, and faced Cloud and the others.

            "Never mind! I guess its fate that made us fight, right here, right now. You were lucky last time. Now you're going to be sorry you ever came in here! Get ready to die!!" shouted Elena.

Elena got ready to fight Cloud and the others, as they got ready to fight her. They were just about to fight, when suddenly Reno turned to face Elena from his seat, with an irritated frown on his face. Rude also turned to face Elena, annoyed.

            "No, Elena. It's our day off. We don't have to chase them today. Let them run around making a mess. I'm just going to enjoy my day off," said Rude.

"Yeah, Elena. You talk too much," said Reno, calmly.

            "W-What…?" gasped Elena, in disbelief, clearly confused and speechless.

            "What are we doing out here, in the middle of nowhere?" asked Reno, sharply.

            "We're taking our vacation, and resting up from our work," replied Elena, dully.

            "Exactly…and now, thanks to you, our vacation is ruined," snarled Reno, clearly annoyed.

            "But then we're not going to catch them!? Just because it's our day off doesn't mean that we can't do our jobs! Now come on!" protested Elena.

            "No work and all play makes Reno a happy Turk," said Reno, sniggering.

            "Even the booze tastes bad now," muttered Rude, sullenly.

            "I'm sorry," muttered Elena, grumpily, and she reluctantly sat back down with Reno and Rude.

"Drink your drink, Rude. How long have we been a team, anyway? There sure have been some hard times being a Turk, but all in all, I'm glad I did it. I even got to meet a bunch of wing nuts like you," said Reno, turning to Cloud. Elena also turned to face Cloud, with a snarl.

            "You're lucky, alright. Now get out of my sight. The next time we meet, I won't be so nice," hissed Elena, menacingly.

            "To the Turks! To Reno! Cheers!" said Rude. 

Noticing they still hadn't gone yet, Reno turned back to Cloud and the others.

            "Listen up. Even though we're off duty, that doesn't mean that I can stand to look at your ugly faces," said Reno, coolly.

            "I'll show you ugly, you little…" snarled Barret, angrily, and raised his gun-arm and aimed it at Reno, but Cloud stopped him before he could fire.

"Barret, just let it go," ordered Cloud, sharply.

Barret reluctantly lowered him gun-arm, snarled at Reno, and turned away, walking back over to the others, and they went out of the bar, and they continued to look for Yuffie, in the town of Wutai.

They went to a house that was unlocked, and they searched for her there. They found Yuffie hiding behind a curtain. Yuffie saw them, and panicked.

Yuffie quickly ran from them, and out of the house. They all followed her, and they went out of the house, but they couldn't see Yuffie anywhere.

"Well, this is interesting," muttered Aeris.

"No shit. Weird too," said Cid. 

Cloud turned to face one of the villagers nearby.

"Excuse me, have you seen a young girl with a shuriken and a lot of Materia?" asked Cloud.

"You mean Yuffie? You'll have to ask Lord Godo about that," replied the man.

"Where does he live?" asked Tifa, curiously.

"Near the Pagoda of the Five Mighty Gods," replied the man, pointing to a temple-like building, which was the legendary Pagoda temple of Wutai.

"Thanks," said Aeris, as they ran off towards the Pagoda.

Inside Godo's house, they found Godo himself meditating in a room. He had black hair with a ponytail on the end of it, and he also had dark eyes, and was wearing strange garments.

Cloud noticed that he seemed to bear a strong resemblance in looks to Yuffie. Noticing Cloud and the others, Godo stopped meditating and looked up at them.

"Who is it? I don't have much money, but you should all be able to rest here," said Godo.

"Thanks, but what we really want to know is have you seen a girl named Yuffie anywhere?" asked Cloud.

"Yuffie? I'm sorry, but I don't know anyone named Yuffie," replied Godo. The others looked puzzled.

"Huh? But a guy told us to ask you about her!" protested Barret, irritated. Cloud stared at Godo suspiciously.

"I think you're lying," said Cloud, coldly, his voice icy.

"For the last time, there is no one in Wutai named Yuffie!!" snapped Godo, angrily, but also a little desperately too, as though he was trying to hide something.

"You're lying through your teeth. Now where is she?" asked Cloud, sharply, reaching for the hilt of his sword.

"Let me guess…are you people in trouble with Shinra? If you are, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave," said Godo. 

To everyone's surprise, Yuffie suddenly dropped down right from the ceiling, and glared angrily and furiously at Godo, paying no attention to Cloud and the others.

"What's with you, coward!!? Are you scared of Shinra or something!!? Then why not just fall in line and obey them like all the other towns!!?" snapped Yuffie.

"Yuffie!! Come here, you little thief!!" roared Barret, moving forwards to attack her, but Aeris and Cloud stopped him before he could get to her. Barret stopped, grumbling and muttering curses under his breath in annoyance.

"Those guys are the ones who are really fighting the Shinra!!" snapped Yuffie, glaring fiercely at Godo, as she pointed at Cloud and the others.

"How dare you speak to me in such a tone!!?" roared Godo, clearly getting angry himself as well.

"You get beaten once, and then that's it!? What happened to the mighty Wutai I used to know!?" asked Yuffie, sharply, still shouting loudly and furiously at Godo.

"What gives you the right to dare speak to me in such a way!? Where did you learn such disrespect!?" snapped Godo.

"That's my style! And it's my own business, not yours, you old fart!! Don't you DARE try to dictate what I should do!!" snapped Yuffie.

"Style!? Dictate!? Throwing around all those fancy words like that!! You're a miserable daughter!!" roared Godo, angrily.

Cloud and the others stared at them in astonishment and disbelief. Yuffie ignored them, but her gaze hardened on Godo.

"Yeah!? Well you're just a sad, sorry old excuse for a father!!" shouted Yuffie, glaring angrily back at him. 

In a rage, Godo then chased her out of the house, and Cloud and the others ran after Yuffie, but once again, she seemed to have given them the slip, and they couldn't see her anywhere.

Just when they were passing the bar, they spotted a big pot next to it, shaking awkwardly. Vincent, Cid, Barret and Aeris blocked one bridge outside the bar, while Tifa, Red XIII and Cait Sith blocked the other bridge outside the bar, since the two bridges were the only exits out of the bar area. 

Cloud walked towards the jar, and hit it hard twice. Yuffie quickly leaped out of the pot with a yelp, and she tried to exit though the bridges, but the others quickly blocked her from escaping. Cloud walked up to Yuffie.

            "You can't get away this time, Yuffie," said Cloud, coldly.

            "Okay, okay, I know I was wrong. You win…I'll give you back all your Materia," sighed Yuffie, giving up.

Yuffie then took Cloud and the others back to her house, so they could get back all their Materia.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, two Shinra soldiers ran into the Turtle's Paradise bar. They ran over to Reno, Elena and Rude, who were still sitting in the bar at one of the tables.

            "So it seems that our reports were right. He IS here on vacation. We've finally found him here at last. We need the Turks for back-up," said one Shinra soldier. 

Reno looked disappointed and irritated, and he frowned at the Shinra soldiers.

            "What a drag…" muttered Reno, annoyed.

            "W-What was that?" stuttered a Shinra soldier, speechless.

            "Right now, we're off duty, and we can't run off to save your butts," said Reno, coldly.

            "We know you're off duty, but…" began one Shinra soldier, but Reno interrupted him sharply.

            "If you knew that, then don't bother us! Now get the hell out of here! Looking at you is making me sober," said Reno.

            "But you all have orders from Shinra Headquarters to look for him too!" protested a Shinra soldier. 

Reno just shrugged, and he didn't seem to care at all.

            "Alright, that's it! We'll get him, without any help from the Turks, just you wait and see," said a Shinra soldier.

            "And don't think that Shinra Headquarters isn't going to hear about this!" shouted another Shinra soldier. The two Shinra soldiers ran out of the room.

            "Reno, did you honestly think that was such a good idea to do that!? I mean, is that really the way a professional Turk would act!?" snapped Elena, angrily.

            "Elena, don't misunderstand. A professional isn't someone who sacrifices himself for his job. That's just a fool," said Reno, scornfully. 

Elena gave up on him and she turned to face Rude.

            "Rude?" asked Elena, hopefully. Rude didn't answer, and continued to drink his alcohol. Elena scowled in response, her fists clenched in fury.

            "Fine! Well I don't buy that! Goodbye!" snapped Elena, and she ran out of the bar to catch up with the Shinra soldiers, not even glancing one at Rude or Reno.

Rude got up and started to go after her, but Reno stopped him, shaking his head.

            "Just relax. She's not a child anymore. Let her have her own way from now on. She can take care of herself," said Reno, confidently, and Rude nodded casually in response, and sat back down again.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Yuffie had taken Cloud and the others to her house, and they were standing in one of the rooms.

            "I know…the Materia, right? I have it all stored in a safe place. Follow me," said Yuffie.

Yuffie walked downstairs into another room, and they all followed her. They entered the room and stood there as Yuffie turned to face them, with a sad sigh.

            "I've been hearing that ever since I was little, before I was even born, Wutai was a lot more crowded and far more important than this. It used to be a great, legendary nation. You saw what it looks like now, right? Just some old resort town. After we lost the war, we got peace, but with that, we lost something else, something important. Now look at Wutai…once so proud and great…now it's just a stupid resort. That's why, if I just had lots and lots of Materia, I could help the town become a great nation again," explained Yuffie.

"Listen, Yuffie. I couldn't care less about the history of Wutai, or about your feelings. You've got our Materia, and I want it back, right now. If you give all of our Materia back right now, we'll drop the whole thing," said Cloud, coldly and sharply.

"…I-I know that. T-That switch on the left. The Materia is in t-there…" said Yuffie, sobbing.

"Cloud, wasn't that just a little harsh!?" questioned Aeris, sharply, glancing sympathetically at Yuffie.

"No, it wasn't," replied Cloud, stubbornly and flatly. 

Aeris turned away in a huff, as Cloud pressed a switch at the other end of the room. Suddenly, a large steel cage came falling down, trapping Aeris, Barret, Cid, Tifa, Vincent, Red XIII and Cait Sith beneath it. Yuffie suddenly started laughing.

"Ha, ha, ha! Suckers! Never trust anyone that easily! The Materia are all MINE! You want your own Materia? Then go find it yourselves. And remember, when you go looking for the Materia, you've got to STEEL it. Ha, ha, get it? STEEL it? HA! See you, losers," said Yuffie, snickering, and she quickly ran out of the house, leaving them all behind, trapped in the steel cage.

"That rotten little piece of shit! Cloud, open this goddamn thing!" roared Cid, angrily.

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, Yuffie had quickly run over to the Materia store to sell all the Materia for some decent money, but the shopkeeper wasn't satisfied.

"I don't care if they cure warts and cancer all at the same time! There ain't no market for useless crap like this. Bring me some real Materia, and then we'll talk," said the shopkeeper, shoving the bag of Materia back to Yuffie. 

Yuffie stamped her foot on the floor so hard it made a mark in the floor, and she angrily slammed the bag hard, back onto the shop counter.

"You stupid old jerk! You've just got no idea at all of what this stuff does! I've seen this one guy use it to take down a horde of the un-dead and a scorpion the size of a house at the same time!" exclaimed Yuffie, angrily.

The shopkeeper raised a curious eyebrow, and scooped one of the Materia from the sack, examined it, and then put it back in the bag.

"Hmm, I thought so. This stuff is crap, and you deal's crap too, kid! Now get the hell outta here!" snapped the shopkeeper.

Yuffie was angry enough to cloud her vision, but she managed to keep her balance and snatch the Materia from the shopkeeper's hand, and snap it into her shuriken. She ran outside, and then spun around to face the shop, and grasped the Materia equipped to her shuriken, green light bursting from the ground beneath her feet as the Materia glowed brightly.

With a sudden explosion, the entire store went up in flames of fire and ash, but the fire quickly went out, leaving the store burnt and ruined. 

When Yuffie turned around to see the shopkeeper, his shop had already closed up, and she could see him tearing off down the street with his entire stock (or what was left of it) in tow behind him.

Grumbling, Yuffie stepped past the burnt wreckage of the shop, and kept going on further downtown. Somebody in this worthless hometown of hers HAD to have an eye for quality…

"Hey, kid," said a voice, suddenly.

Yuffie stopped in her tracks, and turned to face the alley, where several men in suits with some kind of symbol stitched into their sleeves were beckoning her over.

"Come here, kid," the first one said again, straightening his green suit, and as Yuffie stepped over to him, he spoke up again.

"That's quite some show you just put on back there. My boss is looking for talented...uh...young people such as yourself," said the first guy.

Yuffie stepped closer, hefting the Materia over her shoulder. 

"I'm listening," said Yuffie.

Grinning, the man in green stepped out of the shadows, accompanied by a thin, black man with pink hair and several gold teeth. The man in green spoke again.

"Everybody calls me Scotch, because no matter what the crisis, there ain't nothing that Scotch can't fix. Allow me to introduce my associate, Kotch," said Scotch, pointing to the black man standing beside him.

"Hey, like, what's up?" said Kotch, grinning.

"Anyways, like I was saying, our boss would be very, very interested in seeing you. You seem like just the right type for him. Young, beautiful, innocent...am I right?" said Scotch.

Yuffie beamed like a fool and began to blush. 

"Hell yeah! Show me right to this boss of yours! I'll charm the pants off him!" said Yuffie. Kotch snickered.

"We was hoping you would say that…" said Kotch, still grinning, and Scotch grinned too, but Yuffie was oblivious…

****************************************************************

Meanwhile, it had took quite a while for Cloud to sort out how to open the cage again, until he finally found the right lever, and the cage went back up, freeing the others. Cloud and the others quickly ran out of the house. But when they were outside, they couldn't see or find Yuffie anywhere.


	69. Wutai: The Truce With The Turks

Chapter 68 – The Truce With The Turks 

They searched around Wutai, and they went in a house beside the inn. They suddenly spotted Yuffie, but she seemed to be captured by some men.

"Hey, let GO!! I said LET GO!! HEY!! Who the heck do you think I am!? What are you doing!? Jerks!!" shouted Yuffie. 

Cloud ran over to help her, but someone else appeared in the room at the other end. Cloud, Aeris and Tifa were stunned and flabbergasted to see who the man was.

"No…it can't be…" gasped Aeris, stunned.

"You…!" snarled Tifa, glaring viciously at the man.

"CORNEO!!" shouted Cloud, pointing a finger at the man. 

The man turned and looked back at them. It was Don Corneo himself, from Wall market in Sector 6 in Midgar. Kotch and Scotch stood beside him, grinning mischievously.

"Hey, Tifa, isn't this the dude you interrogated back in Wall Market? And when Cloud dressed up like a girl?" asked Barret, curiously. 

Cloud nodded bitterly, and so did Tifa, who still glared hard at the Don, while Don Corneo seemed to shudder at that memory, but he quickly recovered himself.

"I've finally got a new chick! Two for one, in fact!" announced Don Corneo, clearly quite pleased with himself.

"TWO!?" shouted Cloud. 

Just then, a few more men walked into the room, with another prisoner. It was Elena.

"Hey, hey! Let go of me! You're going to regret this!! If you don't let me go, I promise that you'll pay!!" yelled Elena, enraged and struggling against her captors but could not break free.

"It's that female Turk," observed Vincent.

Kotch, Scotch and the other men all left the room, carrying Elena and Yuffie, and Don Corneo followed them. Cloud and the others quickly ran after him. Three Shinra soldiers had arrived, and they ran in front of Don Corneo.

"There he is! It's Corneo! Don't let him get away!" shouted a Shinra soldier.

"Attack!!" shouted another Shinra soldier. 

They all ran towards Don Corneo, but Don Corneo dodged them all just in time, and ran out of the room. The Shinra soldiers attacked Cloud and the others instead.

"Shit! Perfect timing, ya Shinra bastards!" shouted Cid.

Cid ran up to one of the Shinra soldiers, raised his spear, and stabbed him with the sharp point of the spear, killing the Shinra soldier instantly.

Vincent raised his shotgun at the other Shinra soldier, and fired straight at him, the bullet hitting the Shinra soldier straight in the head, and killing him instantly.

The last Shinra soldier suddenly got out a grenade and threw it straight at them. Cid quickly knocked the grenade away from them with his spear, and the grenade hit the Shinra soldier and he exploded in a shower of blood, and the wall behind was completely wrecked as well.

Cloud and the others quickly ran out of the room, and out of the house. There was no sign of Don Corneo or his henchmen anywhere. They did, however, spot Rude and Reno looking outside the inn. They were obviously looking for Elena.

"Shit, not those damn guys again!" muttered Cid, cursing under his breath.

"Rude, I think they went this way! Corneo's somewhere around here, and he's got Elena," said Reno, grimly.

"Elena…" said Rude, quietly, clearly worried.

"That Corneo guy sure is very good at escaping, I'll give him credit for that. But he's still not good enough to lose the likes of us. Let's go, Rude. We'll give him a taste of what the Turks can do," said Reno.

Rude nodded, and he ran off and continued searching for Corneo and his goons. Noticing them, Reno turned to face Cloud and the others.

"Hey, you know, I sounded pretty good back there. But if Elena is in his hands, that's going to make things a little more difficult for us to take him out for good," said Reno.

"Corneo also took Yuffie from us. And without Yuffie, there's no way that we'll get our Materia back," said Cloud.

"Isn't this a little strange? The Turks and AVALANCHE working together…but don't misunderstand me. We have no intention whatsoever of joining you. But for now, we'll just agree not to bother each other. That's all," said Reno, coolly.

"That's fine with us. We have no absolutely no intention of co-operating with the Turks either. Now, exactly what direction did Corneo run off to?" asked Cloud, curiously.

"Nice attitude. Here's a clue. It's the place that stands out the most. That big mountain of rock statues. I think they call it Da-Chao," said Reno, and he ran off.

Cloud and the others followed him, and they came to some rock statues in the mountains of Wutai, known as the Da-Chao Mountains. Rude was already there, waiting for them. Reno walked up to him, and then he faced Cloud and the others.

"You're finally here. We're going to split up into two groups to search for them. If you find Corneo, do whatever you want to him. But don't endanger Elena, understood? Oh, and don't worry, if we find Corneo first, we won't do anything to that girl, Yuffie, either. Well…for now," said Reno, with a mischievous grin.

Reno and Rude then spilt up, and they started to look for Corneo, across the mountains of Wutai. Cloud didn't really care much about Yuffie's safety at the moment, considering that she had betrayed them, and stolen all of their Materia, but he really wanted his Materia back. Without them, he and the others really had no chance whatsoever against Sephiroth…

Cloud and the others took a different route across the mountains, and soon enough, before Reno and Rude, they found Don Corneo along with Kotch and Scotch, standing in front of a cliff edge, hundreds of feet above the ground. 

Elena and Yuffie were trapped, hanging from a large stone statue nearby in mid-air. Don Corneo, Kotch and Scotch were watching them, clearly pleased with themselves, and giving the two bound girls sleazy looks.

"LET ME GO!!!" roared Yuffie, struggling against her bonds, but she was still held tightly to the stone statue, and if she had broke free, she would have fallen straight to her death, so at that realization, she quickly stopped struggling.

"Ho, ho, I think I've just found myself a new hobby! Now then…which girl shall it be? Should I go with…her?" wondered Don Corneo, thoughtfully, glancing at Elena.

"Hey, I'm one of the Turks! Do you really think that you can get away with this!?" shouted Elena, furiously. Don Corneo paid no attention to her, and he looked at Yuffie, thinking.

"Or maybe…HER?" said Don Corneo. 

Yuffie groaned in disgust and revulsion.

"OH GOD!! If I knew that this was going to happen, I would have taken rope escape lessons more seriously!!" shouted Yuffie, frustrated. Kotch and Scotch both sniggered in response.

"I've made my choice! I have made up my mind! My companion for the night will be…the cheerful one!" announced Don Corneo, pointing to Yuffie.

Yuffie looked completely disgusted and revolted.

"EWWW, GROSS-NESS!! Don't mess with me, old man! You don't even have any Materia!" screamed Yuffie.

"Oh, and she's saucy too!" said Don Corneo, licking his lips.

"Alright, that's it!! Hold it right there, you scum! You're not going anywhere, Corneo! Release Yuffie and Elena!" shouted Cloud, suddenly arriving on the scene.

Cloud, Cid, Vincent, Aeris, Tifa, Barret, Red XIII and Cait Sith had all just arrived, and they all readied their weapons at once. Kotch and Scotch both raised their guns, and charged at them to deal with them.

Cait Sith quickly charged at Scotch, and punched him hard in the stomach with the stuffed Moogle's fist, knocking all the wind out of him, and the force of the punch was enough to send Scotch flying off the edge of the cliff, and he fell, screaming, to his death.

Kotch's eyes widened in surprise and horror, but before he could react, Tifa quickly charged at him and kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking all the wind out of him, and the force of the kick was also enough to send Kotch flying off the edge of the cliff as well, and he fell, screaming, to his own death like Scotch had just did before him. 

Don Corneo stared at Cloud and the others in horror.

"…W-W-What's going on!? Who goes there…!?" shouted Don Corneo, clearly panicking.

"Oh man, thank GOD! It's Cloud! CLOUD! I promise I'll give you back all your Materia as long as you just get me out of this, please!" shouted Yuffie, desperately, terrified.

Cloud nodded back at her, in no doubt that she would keep her promise this time. All that was left now was to rescue her, and deal with the sick pervert that stood in front of them.

"Long time, no see. I remember you now…" said Don Corneo, slowly, as he stared at Cloud, and suddenly he seemed to be not worried in the least.

"Don't tell me you'd have forgotten," said Cloud, coldly.

"Maybe God would forgive an ugly bastard like you, but I sure as hell won't!!" shouted Cid, angrily, his fists clenched.

"I don't care what you're doing, so much as the idiotic way that you're doing it," said Vincent, coldly.

"Be quiet! None of you know how much I've suffered since then…it's a long story, but…" began Don Corneo, but Cid interrupted him, angrily.

"I really don't give a damn about your past! You're gonna let both those two girls go right now, or else I'm going to break your damn arms!" snapped Cid, reaching for his spear. 

Don Corneo merely raised an eyebrow, looking amused.

"You guys are…serious? Good, good. This isn't a time for me to be fooling around either, you know. Why did you have to kill my little Aps?" asked Don Corneo, accusingly, pointing at Cloud.

Aps was the large sewer monster in the sewer below the Wall Market in Sector 6 in Midgar, and it had belonged to Don Corneo. When it showed up and tried to eat them, Cloud, Tifa and Aeris had battled and killed it, after Don Corneo had sent them down there through a trapdoor. Don Corneo now looked angry.

"I'm going to make you PAY with my new pet, so that you won't get in the way of my search for a bride! Rapps!! Come here at once!" shouted Don Corneo, as he did a loud whistle.

At this, Rapps suddenly appeared. Rapps was a huge, flying monster, with a purple tail, orange wings, a black beak, and a red body, which was like a bird's, only bigger and not feathery. Cloud and the others had no choice but to fight it.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as he quickly raised his sword, ran up to Rapps, stabbed it with his sword, leaped in the air, and took his sword out of Rapps at the same time, giving Rapps a huge slash across its body, and badly wounding it. Rapps shrieked in agony, while Cloud landed back on the ground.

Getting angry, Rapps quickly flung its wings strongly and rapidly at them, causing a strong gust of wind to suddenly appear out of nowhere and blow Cloud, Cait Sith and Cid hard into some rocks near the cliff edge, giving them many injuries and bruises in the process.

Cid quickly got back up, raised his spear, and slashed it at Rapps, but Rapps quickly flew out of the way and avoided it, and was therefore not injured.

Cait Sith also got back up and ran up to Rapps, and tried to punch it with the robotic Moogle's large fists, but Rapps quickly flew out of the way again and was not injured.

Rapps quickly swooped down, and flew straight at them with incredible speed, ramming Cid and Cloud to the ground hard before they could react, and then Rapps flew back up into the air again. Cid and Cloud slowly got back up, both of them injured and bruised all over.

Rapps suddenly raised its tail, and swooped down at Cait Sith, and slashed its tail straight at Cait Sith, giving him a mark across his robotic body, and badly wounding him, as he fell to the ground, and was unable to even get back up.

Rapps quickly flung its wings strongly and rapidly at them, as another strong gust of wind appeared out of nowhere and struck Cid hard, sending him flying backwards into some hard rocks at the cliff edge, badly injuring him, as he was unable to even get back up.

Cloud saw that this was not looking too good, they were all already badly injured and barely able to fight back, while Rapps was incredibly fast and was completely unharmed, except for the sword wound that Cloud had inflicted on it earlier.

Grasping a Materia equipped to his sword, green light burst from the ground at Cloud's feet as a circle of magical energy appeared out of nowhere and fully healed himself, Cid and Cait Sith, and all of their injuries and bruises.

Rapps suddenly swooped down quickly again, and flew straight at Cloud and Cid, ramming them hard to the ground before they could react, and then Rapps quickly flew back up into the air again. Cloud and Cid slowly got back up, both of them with many bruises.

Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Cid's feet, as he quickly raised his spear, leaped into the air, and threw his spear straight down at Rapps. The spear went straight for Rapps, and slashed it across his side, giving it a large spear wound across its body. Rapps shrieked in agony, badly wounded, as Cid landed back on the ground, and caught his spear as it fell back down towards him.

Cloud raised his sword and rushed towards Rapps, slashing his sword at it, but despite being badly wounded, Rapps just managed to fly out of the way, and dodged Cloud's sword.

Rapps then raised its tail, swooped down at Cloud, and slashed its tail straight at Cloud, giving him a mark across his body, and badly wounding him, as he fell to the ground and was unable to even get back up.

Quickly grasping a Materia equipped to his megaphone, green light burst from the ground at Cait Sith's feet as a circle of magical energy appeared out of nowhere, and fully healed himself, Cloud and Cid, and all of their injuries, bruises and wounds that they had suffered against Rapps.

Rapps flapped its wings again, and a strong gust of wind appeared out of nowhere and struck Cid hard, sending him flying backwards into some hard rocks at the cliff edge, badly injuring him, as he was unable to even get back up.

Cloud raised his sword and ran towards Rapps, slashing his sword at it, but despite being badly wounded, Rapps just managed to fly out of the way, and dodged Cloud's sword.

Rapps suddenly swooped down quickly, and flew straight towards Cloud and Cait Sith, ramming them hard to the ground before they could react, and then Rapps quickly flew back up into the air again. Cloud and Cait Sith slowly got back up, both with many bruises.

Rapps then raised its tail, swooped down at Cloud, and slashed its tail straight at Cloud, giving him a mark across his body, and badly wounding him, as he fell to the ground and was unable to even get back up.

Despite being wounded, Cloud managed to raise his sword and ran towards Rapps, slashing his sword at it, and this time he caught it by surprise, slashing across its side, giving it another bloody sword wound. Rapps shrieked, and to the ground in pain, staining the ground with its dark blood, but it still wasn't quite dead just yet.

Cait Sith quickly ran up to Rapps, raised his stuffed Moogle's fist, and punched Rapps hard in the stomach, going straight through it, and putting a bloody hole in it. Cait Sith pulled his stuffed Moogle's fist back out, as Rapps shrieked in agony, and was then dead a few seconds later from its wound.

After Cloud, Cid and Cait Sith had healed all of their injuries with potions and Cure spells, Cloud and the others now started to move menacingly towards Don Corneo. Don Corneo was surprised and alarmed by the sudden turn of events. He was now extremely terrified, and shaking in terror.

"…W-Wait…! Wait just a second! Why do you think that I'm doing this…?" begged Don Corneo, frightened and terrified.

"SHUT UP!!" snapped Cloud, angrily.

"J-Just listen to me. It won't take very long. Why do you think bad guys like me would swallow his pride, and plead for his life? 1 - Because he's ready to die? 2 - Because he's sure to win? Or 3 - Because he's clueless?" questioned Don Corneo.

"Number 1. Because he's ready to die," said Cloud, coldly, taking a step forwards, with his hands clutched tightly around the hilt of his massive sword.

"Wrong!!" shouted Don Corneo, and he suddenly got out a remote control from his pocket, and he quickly pushed a button on it before they could react.

Elena and Yuffie were suddenly now hanging upside down on the side of the stone statue, which was hundreds of feet above the rocky ground far below.

"He makes me so mad!" shouted Yuffie, furiously.

"If I push this button, they'll fall upside down, and we'll have a couple of squashed tomatoes," said Don Corneo. An evil grin was now on his face, his confidence and composure regained.

"DAMN IT!!" shouted Cloud, sensing defeat.

"So this is how a loser lives," snarled Cid, angrily. 

Vincent turned to face Don Corneo as well, with an angry and surprised look on his face. Don Corneo was laughing insanely now, clearly believing he would get the better of them.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Now you've got to give me your other women too, or else! Ha, ha, ha, ha! So I guess I'm the one laughing last!" said Don Corneo, nastily.

Suddenly, just then, Reno finally arrived on the scene, and there was a wicked, mischievous grin on his face, and his blue eyes glittered darkly.

"No…that would be us. No one dies tonight, Corneo. Except you…" said Reno, menacingly.

"W-What's going on…!? Who goes there…!?" shouted Don Corneo, clearly alarmed. Reno walked up to Don Corneo. 

Everyone stared at him in amazement and awe, as Reno suddenly looked far more menacing and dangerous than anyone had ever seen him look.

"The Turks!" shouted Don Corneo, complete terror and fear breaking out into a sweat on his face at the sight of Reno.

"You knew that this was going to happen ever since you leaked that secret to AVALANCHE. We're going to take care of you…personally…" said Reno, darkly, a nasty sneer on his face.

"Damn it! Then those two are going to die as well!" shouted Don Corneo, clearly panicking.

Don Corneo was just about to push the button, when suddenly; Rude arrived on the scene, took out a shotgun from his pocket in a flash, and shot Don Corneo in the right side of his body. Rude's gunshot was so powerful that Don Corneo's rib bones had been smashed to pieces. 

Don Corneo screamed in pure agony, blood quickly spreading from the wound, staining the ground around him and himself, and he dropped the control, and stumbled off the cliff, but he quickly lunged for the edge.

Don Corneo just managed to grab the end of the cliff edge, but he was in great agony, and probably couldn't hold on for much longer, his right side wounded badly and bleeding freely. 

Rude walked over to Reno, his smoking shotgun still aimed at Don Corneo, but he didn't fire. Reno grinned as he and Rude slapped each other a high five.

"Good timing, Rude," said Reno, grinning, somewhat impressed like everyone else. Rude nodded, his face set.

"Let's get to work," said Rude, glancing down at Don Corneo, badly wounded and only his own hand on the cliff edge keeping him from certain death.

Reno nodded, and he walked over to the cliff edge, where Don Corneo was still holding onto it for his life, blood still flowing from his wound, and falling hundreds of feet to the ground way down below.

Reno stood right over him, and he had a menacing look on his face, as he looked down at Don Corneo.

"Alright, Corneo. Now…do you know what it is we do with people who constantly interfere with Shinra's business?" asked Reno, threateningly.

Don Corneo shook his head in response, very terrified.

"We ELIMINATE them…" replied Rude, coldly. Reno nodded.

"This will all be over with quick, Corneo, so listen up. Why do you think that cool, tough guys like me and Rude, went to all the trouble of teaming up with those guys over there just to get back at you? 1 – Because we were ready to die? 2 – Because we were sure of victory? Or, 3 – Because we were clueless?" asked Reno, with a hard and menacing look at Don Corneo.

"N-Number 2! Number 2!" shouted Don Corneo, desperately and urgently. 

He was in great agony and pain from his wound, but he was still afraid of dying, and was desperate not to, just like anyone else would be in the very same situation.

"All three of them are wrong, Corneo…" replied Reno, coldly.

"N-No, wait! Stop!!" shouted Don Corneo, desperately, more terrified than ever, and for good reason.

Reno suddenly raised his right foot, and he slammed it down hard onto Don Corneo's hand. Reno's foot crushed Don Corneo's hand and finger bones to pieces, and blood poured from it.

Don Corneo screamed in great agony, and had to let go of the cliff edge. He screamed in extreme fear and agony as he fell hundreds of feet until finally he hit the hard ground, and was smashed to bits on the rocks below.

Don Corneo was now dead.

Reno turned back to face Cloud and the others, who were all looked both stunned and horrified at what they had just witnessed. Reno still had a mischievous grin on his face.

"The CORRECT answer was…" said Reno, slowly, glancing at Rude in anticipation.

"Because it's our job," answered Rude, nodding at Reno.

Reno nodded back at him. Elena looked at both Rude and Reno, and she was smiling gratefully at them with great delight and gratitude.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you both so very much! I NEVER thought that you guys would come to save me!" said Elena, very delighted.

"Elena, don't act so weak. You're a Turk," said Reno, sharply, glancing at her.

"Yes, sir!" said Elena, grateful all the same, still smiling.

Cloud and the others hesitated, before thanking both Reno and Rude for their help.

"I guess, thanks for today," said Cid, quietly.

"Yeah, we couldn't have done it without your help. Thank you," said Aeris, bowing to them in gratitude.

Cloud nodded in agreement, but Reno simply shrugged while Rude just nodded. Nevertheless, a strange, unexpected mutual agreement had risen between the Turks and AVALANCHE that day…

Suddenly, Reno's mobile phone ran. He picked it up, and then answered it.

"Yes, this is Reno speaking…yes, yes…I see…I'll get on it right away," said Reno. He put his phone away into his pocket.

"Was that Shinra?" asked Elena, curiously. 

Reno nodded slowly, glancing at Cloud and the others.

"Yeah…they want us to find Cloud and his gang," said Reno.

Both Reno and Rude slowly turned to face Cloud and the others. Both the Turks and AVALANCHE looked clearly quite reluctant to start a fight with each other right at this moment, but they both readied themselves for battle all the same. Rude glanced at Reno.

"Are we on?" asked Rude, curiously. 

There was a long silence. Finally, Reno paused and shook his head slowly.

"No…today we're off duty. For another two hours at least…" said Reno, checking his watch.

Cloud and the others relaxed, and nodded gratefully at Reno and Rude. Elena wasn't complaining about it, since she was also clearly grateful to Cloud and the others as well. Yuffie, however, was still looking extremely frustrated.

"Hey, that's really great and all, but who the heck cares about that!? GET ME DOWN!!!" screamed Yuffie.

****************************************************************

Some hours later, after both Yuffie and Elena were rescued from their ordeal, Elena, Reno, and Rude all continued their vacation at Wutai. Yuffie, Cloud and the others went back to Yuffie's house.

Yuffie soon gave all their Materia back to them without hesitation, as a sign of clear genuine gratitude from her, which certainly impressed everyone else to see her doing something so selfless for them. After she had finished giving back all their Materia, she crouched down on the floor, panting.

"Okay, perfect! Now the Materia is all back in its rightful place," said Yuffie, cheerfully, though tried out. Cloud frowned irritably as he looked at the Materia equipped on his sword.

"Hey, the placement of it is all messed up! It's all in the wrong order!" complained Cloud, annoyed. 

Yuffie looked at him and sighed in exasperation.

"Huh? Oh, it will be alright. Don't be so picky! Anyway, that sure was close. Normally, I would have kicked their butts! Boom, wham, bang, pow!! That Don Corneo guy sure was a real pain, alright. I'd rather deal with my dad, Godo, any day than deal with that guy. Well, at least he's dead now, so we won't have to worry about him any more. Oh, and by the way, some of those guys from the Turks are good after all, huh? I'll have to thank them properly when we meet again. At least, after all that we got all of the Materia back. Now come on everybody, let's continue our journey!" said Yuffie, brightly, clearly enthusiastic.

Cloud and the others nodded to each other, and they all went out the house, leaving Yuffie behind and deliberately ignoring her, all of them still clearly angry with her. Yuffie sprang up from the floor, clearly taken aback.

"H-Hey, wait! Alright, alright, I'll give something useful to you guys! Hey, look! Come on, wait for me! No matter what anyone says, I'm going with you all! Come on, wait up!" shouted Yuffie, desperately.

            Cloud sighed heavily, and he and the others stopped and waited as Yuffie quickly caught up with them, and she stopped just in front of them, her face set and determined. 

Yuffie could easily tell from the looks they were giving her that they hadn't entirely forgiven her, and her insides were aflame with guilt.

"Look, I know now what I did to you guys was wrong, and I'll never do it ever again, I promise! You guys saved my life even when I ditched you and stole from you. That's something I can never thank you properly for, and I can't expect forgiveness from you guys either, but I owe my life to all of you, and no matter what you say, I'm going with you to pay you guys back once and for all, and I'm staying with you all until the end, no matter what," said Yuffie, and she was clearly being sincere.

            Cloud and the others all stared back at her, wide-eyed and speechless, none of them had ever expected Yuffie Kisaragi of all people to say such things. 

Finally, Cloud slowly stepped forwards.

            "I can tell you really do mean those words, but still…how do we know for sure if we can trust you?" asked Cloud, curiously.

            "That's something you'll just have to judge for yourselves, but I think there's something special I can give to you guys to really make it up to you. I promise you it will really come in handy in our journey," said Yuffie.

            Cloud and the others slowly glanced at each other, exchanging looks of curiosity and bewilderment. Finally, Cloud looked back at Yuffie, who just stood there, watching him.

            "Okay Yuffie, we'll trust your judgement this time, but this better be worth it, got it? Now what exactly is this thing you want to give to us?" asked Cloud, and the others listened too.

Yuffie just simply smirked mischievously in response.

            "Why don't you guys found out for yourselves? Don't worry, its in Wutai, and trust me, you won't be disappointed. Just follow me and I'll get it for you," said Yuffie, and she ran off in the direction of the Pagoda of the Five Mighty Gods, the large temple in the middle of the once proud nation of Wutai.

Exchanging bewildered looks and brief words, Cloud and the others agreed and decided to follow Yuffie as they all ran off after her, and saw her enter through the doors of the Pagoda Temple itself, and they quickly ran in after her, none of them even remotely sure what to expect.


	70. Wutai: Climb Of The Pagoda Temple

Chapter 69 – Climb Of The Pagoda Temple 

            Yuffie quickly raced along the streets of Wutai, running excitedly along the town, while Cloud and the others quickly followed, but they had to really hurry as quickly as possible to keep up with Yuffie, and only Red XIII, Cloud, Tifa and Vincent had no trouble doing this, while Barret, Cid, Cait Sith and Aeris were quickly falling behind.

            "Damn that kid! Is getting us killed by exhaustion her way of repaying us for her betrayal?!" snarled Cid, angrily, panting for breath as he run as fast as he could to keep up from Yuffie, who still zoomed along the streets of Wutai.

            "Oh, quit whining. I'm sure she's got something she wants to show us, and I'm sure it'll come in use," said Aeris, calmly, though she too was gasping for breath.

            "Yeah, she'd better hope so, because if this is another trick of hers, then I'm not going to be too pleased," said Cloud, irritably, and he couldn't help but still be suspicious.

            Suddenly, Yuffie came to a halt, and seeing this, so did everyone else, with half the group gasping for breath, and the other half waiting expectantly. Yuffie turned to face them, and beamed brightly, ignoring their clear irritation.

            "Well, this is it. The legendary Temple of Pagoda itself, just ahead," said Yuffie, as she pointed along the path ahead of them.

            The others followed her gaze to see a large temple that was five floors high, but nevertheless towered over them and all the other buildings in Wutai. 

Its style matched the rest of the atmosphere in Wutai, but it was still clearly a sacred place among the town, which not even the war against Shinra had disposed of, though it had clearly been around for generations in the realm of Wutai.

Cloud and the others finally broke their gaze upon the Pagoda Temple, and looked back at Yuffie, who was still waiting for a response, somewhat impatiently.

"You still ain't told us what you're going to get for us in repayment for your damn antics. And just what the heck's that temple got to do with it?" asked Barret, sharply.

"There's something INSIDE the Temple that I'm going to get for you guys. Quite a fair amount of things in fact, and they'll really come in useful, I guarantee it. Now, come on, let's go," said Yuffie, impatiently.

This time, they all walked towards the Temple of the Pagoda, as it was just ahead, with Yuffie leading them towards it, as she opened the front doors of the temple and stepped into it, with Cloud and the others all following her.

Inside, on the first floor, was only a simple room, and although it was fairly big, there was still nothing inside there at all, apart from the walls and carpets, nothing except an old man standing in the middle of the room, wearing green and silver garments, and had grey hair and a beard of the same colour. He glanced at them all, and his eyebrows rose as he spotted Yuffie, who walked up to him.

"Hey, Gorky, I'm here for the Materia. And if you won't give it up, I'll have to challenge you for it, you know," said Yuffie, calmly.

"Ah, Miss Yuffie, I see that your manners are still as poor as ever. You are here for the Materia, you say? Then you have come to climb the Pagoda, our ancient, sacred challenge that very few have accomplished?" asked Gorky, curiously. 

The others listened with interest, but still didn't understand what this had to do with anything. Yuffie, on the other hand, nodded and smirked confidently.

"Yeah, that's it, old man. I know I failed all those other times, but this time, I'm ready! All those Summon Materia will be mine! Uh…I mean theirs," said Yuffie, sheepishly, as the others watched her suspiciously, but were all surprised when she mentioned the Summon Materia.

"Summon Materia!? You mean you guys have got Summon Materia!?" asked Cloud, astonished.

Noticing them all clearly for the first time, Gorky looked at them all and nodded.

"Indeed, although Summon Materia are extremely rare, we have long ago found and kept five of them, one for each of the five Pagoda guardians. I am one of the guardians, and the warrior who faces the guardians and defeats them shall gain the Summon Materia for his or her own possession as token of the warrior's victory," explained Gorky.

"Whoa, Yuffie wasn't kidding. If we had that kind of power on our side, it would really come in handy against the likes of Sephiroth and Shinra," said Cloud, thoughtfully.

"See? Did any of you ever doubt me?" asked Yuffie, grinning, as some of the others looked sheepish, while others just snorted.

"Yeah, yeah, but first you've got to earn the Materia, ain't that right, ya little punk?" asked Cid, sharply, and Yuffie nodded in response, still smirking confidently.

"Don't worry, I can handle this by myself. Those Materia will be ours, no problem!" said Yuffie, confidently.

"You mean like the way you handled yourself against Corneo and his cronies?" asked Vincent, sceptically, raising an eyebrow. Yuffie glared at him, but otherwise took no notice.

"Okay, just leave this to me. Don't interfere at any time, or we'll lose by default," said Yuffie. Cloud nodded.

"Okay then, we'll just stand back and watch, but you're on your own this time, Yuffie," said Cloud. Yuffie shrugged, while Gorky spoke up.

"Very well then, Miss Yuffie. I, the sacred guardian Gorky, shall be your first opponent in the climb of the Pagoda Temple. I may be the first and weakest of the guardians, but it is still not wise to underestimate me. As you well know, the guardians summon up a monster of their choice to fight the warrior who takes the challenge, and the warrior must defeat it in order to move onto the next stage. I shall be your opponent, and shall watch as you either win or fall by the monster I shall summon against you, Miss Yuffie," explained Gorky.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it already, now let's get started, old man!" said Yuffie, impatiently, as she got ready to battle.

Gorky nodded, and prepared to summon a monster to fight Yuffie, while the others waited and watched.

"Then let us begin the first stage of the Pagoda, Miss Yuffie! Power change!" shouted Gorky, and there was suddenly a flash of light as a monster suddenly appeared before Yuffie.

A strange bat-like creature with a humanoid shape of body and long wings joined up to its back was standing before her, glaring menacingly at her with its beady yet vicious red eyes. Its skin was a mixture of purple and blue, with red at the legs.

Cloud looked on with some surprise at how this creature had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and glanced curiously at Gorky, who was clutching a yellow Materia in his hand, and Cloud realised that it was almost certainly a Manipulation Materia, which would explain why the creature would respond obediently to every command that Gorky instructed to it.

Suddenly, Yuffie whipped out her Shuriken in a flash, and charged towards the bat-like creature, and wasting no time, she immediately slashed it straight across its side with the spiky points of her weapon, succeeding in drawing blood from her opponent from its wound.

The bat-like creature shrieked furiously, and immediately swung out one of its legs at Yuffie before she could dodge aside, and it struck her hard in the chest, sending her flying backwards to the floor in a heap, but she quickly leaped back up again to her feet, glaring hard at the bat-like creature, before she charged towards it again, her Shuriken raised high and at the ready.

Before Yuffie could strike out at the bat-like creature with her weapon, though, the monster suddenly screeched loudly, and a strange, slightly transparent white barrier suddenly seemed to form right in front of it as Yuffie struck. Her blow hit the barrier instead, and the barrier shattered at once, but the bat-like creature was completely unharmed.

In an instant after that, the bat-like creature struck again, kicking Yuffie hard, and then it suddenly seemed to glow for a moment, before it a ball of black energy appeared just before it in mid-air, and the bat-like creature sent it flying towards Yuffie, striking her hard, and she slammed into the opposite wall of the room, bruised and battered.

            Ignoring the looks of concern that the others were giving her, Yuffie sprang back up from the floor again, and suddenly grasped a Materia equipped to her Shuriken, which glowed brightly at once, as green light burst at the ground at Yuffie's feet. A large circle of flames suddenly appeared all around the bat-like creature, and instantly closed in around it, and vanished, but not before leaving the monster with some nasty burns, as it shrieked in agony and rage.

Wasting no time, Yuffie quickly dashed towards the bat-like creature as fast as she could, and before it could summon up another barrier to its aid again, she quickly raised her Shuriken, and quickly stabbed one of its spikes straight through the monster's chest.

The bat-like creature let out an even more agonised shriek that ever before, which was soon cut short as the monster swayed on the spot, and Yuffie quickly wrenched her Shuriken from the creature, and it fell to the floor with a massive wound in its chest, quite clearly dead.

Gorky stared in shock, clearly struck mute by the unexpected outcome, stunned at how much Yuffie's skills had improved. Before she had set out from Wutai, she could never defeat his challenge before, and now having returned, she had done it, and in a fairly short amount of time.

"Very impressive indeed, Miss Yuffie," said Gorky, slowly, still looking startled. Yuffie smirked triumphantly.

"What else what you expect from my skills, old man?" said Yuffie, arrogantly, as she punched the air in triumph, with a wide smirk still on her face.

"Very well then, Miss Yuffie. As I had previously stated and promised, here is your reward for defeating me. My Summoning Materia is yours now, so just make good use of it," said Gorky, as he handed Yuffie a glowing red Summoning Materia, as she eagerly took it and studied it intensely, before giving it an incredulous look of surprise.

            "Choco/Mog!? What the heck kind of Summoning Materia is this anyway!? It's only got a damn Moogle and Chocobo inside of it to summon! This is a joke old man!" said Yuffie, furiously.

            "It is the most basic Summon Materia for completing the most basic challenge of the Pagoda, Miss Yuffie. Besides, this Summoning Materia will come in more use to you than it may first appear to, I assure you of that," said Gorky, calmly.

            "Fine, we'll take it then, but someone else can have this if they want, I'm not bothered about it," said Yuffie, as she tossed the Choco/Mog Summon Materia to the others. 

Cait Sith easily caught it with the robotic Moogle's big fist, and slotted it into his megaphone with his other Materia. Along with Odin, found before in the Nibelheim mansion, there were now two Summoning Materia that they had collected, and there were even more to collect as the Pagoda challenge went on.

"I thought you were just a wild child, Miss Yuffie, but you handled my challenge rather well. We'll just have to see how you do on the next challenge. Your next opponent is waiting for you on the next floor above," said Gorky, pointing upwards.

"Then he's gonna get an ass-kicking too!" said Yuffie, with a shake of her fists, smirking, as she ran past Godo, who stood there bemused, while Cloud and the others quickly followed Yuffie up the stairs to the next floor.

"Damn kid's getting cocky, alright. With that kind of attitude, she'll be defeated in no time, the little bitch," said Cid, with an annoyed growl.

"Aren't you being just a little too harsh on her? I'm sure she knows what she's doing, so why don't we trust her and let her handle this her way for once," said Aeris, as they raced up the stairs after Yuffie.

"The kid's done nothing to earn that trust so far though, that's for sure," said Cait Sith, sceptically.

"Then consider this a test to see if she can be trusted. We all have to believe in her just this once, though. To give her the chance to prove that we can trust her," said Red XIII.

They all nodded to each other in agreement, as they all reached the next floor and ran into the large room that occupied it, which looked just like the one below. 

Cloud and the others all stood at the end of the room, while Yuffie stopped in the middle of it, facing towards her next opponent who stood at the other end of the room.

To their startled surprise, however, the opponent and next guardian of the Pagoda was a young boy, shorter than even Yuffie, and looked to be around only ten years old. 

He was dressed in the same traditional clothes the citizens of Wutai seemed to wear, and a cocky grin was clearly visible across the boy's face, whose name was Shake.

Yuffie looked on in disbelief, incredulous that her next opponent and challenge would come from her mere child, and she looked around the room for anyone else, though there was no one else there. Noticing this, Shake looked slightly irritated. Yuffie turned to face him, with a cocky smirk.

"Hey kid, know where the REAL guardian's gone off to? I've got to fight him next, you know, so be a good little brat and fetch him," said Yuffie, with a dismissive wave of her hand. Shake now glared at her.

"Are you blind or something!? I'm standing right here!" spat Shake, furiously, flushed with indignant anger. Yuffie raised an eyebrow and laughed for a moment.

"What, so now I've gotta fight some punk like you? I can understand how Gorky became a Pagoda guardian even if he is old, but now they're choosing kids to be guardians of the great Pagoda? Is this really what the once great nation of Wutai has been reduced to these days?" said Yuffie, with a smirk and a pretend sigh.

"So I'm just a bratty punk, eh? Well even if I am, I'm still more of an adult than some dumb old bimbo girl who think's she's good enough to challenge the Pagoda, so I guess with stupid challengers like you, even kids find being guardians a cinch," said Shake, with a triumphant sneer, as he saw Yuffie's smirk had vanished now, replaced by an angry look indeed.

"What did you just DARE to call me, brat!?" hissed Yuffie, menacingly, her fists clenched tightly, as the others looked on uncomfortably, expecting quite a fight to break out between the two at this rate. But Shake merely laughed and sneered.

"See what I mean? That kind of anger you're showing now just proves how immature you really are. Like it or not, I'm your next opponent, and you can pat yourself on the back if, and only IF, you actually manage to defeat me," said Shake, calmly.

"Okay then, I will! Don't go crying if you lose, boy! Now stop yapping and fight. I'll win, just you watch and see!" said Yuffie, determinedly, as she got into a fighting stance, preparing for battle, as Shake slowly took out a yellow Materia and held it.

"About the only thing you're good at is breathing, but if you still think you're brave enough to fight past me, then here I go, brat! Though I am impressed that someone finally got past Gorky, but don't think you can beat me! Speed Change!" shouted Shake, and there was suddenly a flash of light as another monster suddenly appeared before Yuffie.

The monster looked like what appeared to be a monstrous penguin with razor sharp teeth and claws, with several spikes going from its head and across its back. Shrieking, the penguin-like creature quickly charged towards Yuffie, and Cloud could see that his monster was also being controlled by a Manipulation Materia, as it glowed bright yellow in Shake's hand.

The penguin-like monster quickly charged towards Yuffie, who dodged aside, and she slashed it swiftly across its back with her Shuriken. 

The creature shrieked with rage, and counter-attacked by slashing its sharp claws at Yuffie, scoring a blow across her side, causing her to yell out in pain, before backing leaping backwards from it, and clutching a Materia on her Shuriken.

The Materia glowed brightly at once, and green light burst from the ground at Yuffie's feet as several bolts of lighting suddenly appeared out of nowhere and struck the penguin-like monster heavily. 

The creature stumbled and seemed stunned for a moment, before it letting out an enraged shriek and it suddenly charged rapidly forwards, and before Yuffie could put up a defence in time, it hit her hard with the force of a bomb, sending her flying hard into the opposing wall where the others stood nearby, watching as Yuffie slid down to the floor.

"Maybe you should borrow this," suggested Cait Sith, as he tossed the red Choco/Mog Summon Materia over to Yuffie, who caught it and merely snorted at it.

"This piece of junk? As if it's going to help," said Yuffie, sceptically, half prepared to toss the thing back.

"Oh come on, just try it at least," insisted Cait Sith, impatiently. 

Yuffie glared at him, but equipped the Choco/Mog Materia into a slot on her Shuriken nevertheless, and got back up to face the penguin-like monster, which still advanced on her.

Acting quickly, Yuffie quickly grasped the Choco/Mog Summon Materia on her Shuriken, and it quickly glowed brightly at once. A Chocobo suddenly appeared with a Moogle on its back, to the startled surprise of Yuffie and the others. 

Suddenly, the Chocobo charged forwards, with the Moogle still on its back, at a very high speed towards the penguin-like monster, and rammed into it hard with explosive force. 

The Moogle, which had fallen off the Chocobo's back and now laid on the floor, was clearly very dazed, so the Chocobo, surprisingly unharmed, picked it up with its beak, and it quickly ran away, both of them vanishing suddenly in an instant.

Yuffie and the others quickly snapped out of their startled trance as the Choco/Mog Materia stopped glowing, and they saw that the penguin-like monster lay squashed and trampled in a bloody, broken mess on the floor in the middle of the room, and it was quite clearly dead. Yuffie took her Choco/Mog Materia out of her Shuriken, and stared at it.

"Wow…guess it's useful for something after all," said Yuffie, with a shrug, starting at it, before Cait Sith suddenly reached over and snatched it out of her hand.

"Hey, what's the big idea, ya dumb cat!?" shouted Yuffie, startled and glaring at Cait Sith.

"You gave this to me in the first place, remember? I was just letting you borrow for that battle, so don't expect me to lend it out to you again," said Cait Sith. 

Yuffie only snorted in response, and turned to face her opponent. Shake stood still on the other side of the room, looking stunned and aghast.

"Ah, damn it! So you CAN fight a bit after all, huh? It's been a long while since I've felt defeat. Maybe you're not so immature after all," said Shake, as Yuffie smirked confidently, after healing her injuries with a potion.

"Of course, what else would you expect from my skills? As you really are a guardian, then you should have Summon Materia too, right? Then come on, hand them over. I beat you fair and square," said Yuffie. Shake sighed, and nodded reluctantly.

"Alright then, take them. Not as if I have a choice or anything," muttered Shake, as he held out not one, but two red Summoning Materia, one in each hand. 

Yuffie took both of them, and stared down at them one at a time, glancing at the one in her right hand first, glancing at the name on it.

"Ifrit, huh? So what's this one do?" asked Yuffie, curiously.

"Oh, Ifrit is a great yellow fire demon with big horns and red eyes, and he fires a massive ball of fire at his enemies to defeat them," explained Shake. Yuffie smirked, satisfied.

"Cool, this'll come in handy. Hey, mutt, catch!" shouted Yuffie, as she tossed the Ifrit Materia to Red XIII. 

Red XIII, being four legged, could not catch the Materia in mid-air with his paws, and it struck him on the head. Red XIII yelped in surprise, caught out by it, as the Materia fell from his head to the floor.

Red XIII growled irritably at Yuffie, while Aeris picked up the Ifrit Summon Materia, and helped Red XIII to equip it on the large feather on his head with his other Materia. Yuffie looked down at the other Summon Materia in her other hand.

"Shiva…? So does this one do any cool moves too?" asked Yuffie, curiously.

"Shiva's a beautiful goddess with blue skin, green hair, and in contrast to Ifrit's fire powers, Shiva fires a path of ice at her opponents to freeze them. I also like staring at her breasts…speaking of which…" said Shake, slowly, and he glanced at Tifa, drooling slightly, which she noticed.

What happened next was over before anyone had even realised what had happened. There was a loud smack, and Shake was suddenly lying unconscious on the floor, while Tifa stood before him, her face red, her hand drew back, as the others stared at her in surprise.

            "I HATE it when people do that. I had to put up with it from drunken weirdoes all the time when I was running the Seventh Heaven at Sector 7," muttered Tifa, appearing to calm down, as she took the Shiva Summon Materia from Yuffie, and slotted it into her right-hand fighting glove.

            "Was that even necessary regardless?" asked Red XIII, raising an eyebrow.

            "I guess my temper just got the better of me like all the other times, but he'll be okay, I just knocked him out, that's all," said Tifa, with a shrug.

            "Even so, remind me never to get on your bad side," said Cloud, with a small smirk. Tifa grinned at him and winked.

            "Believe me, Cloud, you never are. You most certainly never are…" said Tifa, softly, and Cloud grew uncomfortable, and felt strange as Tifa stared at him, and he could only stare back, until an impatient cough from Barret broke the silence and made them both jump in surprise.

Blushing furiously, Tifa turned away, while Cloud still looked uncomfortable, glancing uneasily at Aeris, who seemed to grin in amusement, but Cloud thought that there seemed to be more to her expression then she was letting on, her beautiful emerald green eyes told him so.

"So anyway, are we gonna get going or not?" asked Barret, impatiently, glancing sharply at them all.

"Yeah sure, there's just three more levels to go, I can handle them, no sweat. Then we'll have all the Summon Materia we need to take care of that Sephiroth," said Yuffie, confidently, with an arrogant smirk.

"I hope so. I doubt it will do the job by itself, but it will certainly help out a lot. Now come on, let's go," said Cloud.

Yuffie nodded, and ran up the stairs leading to the third and next floor above them, with the others all quickly following her, each of them wondering what sort of opponent Yuffie would have to face next, and wondering what sort of Summon Materia she would receive.


End file.
